A/N: Man, this chapter ended up long! LOL it was another one of those parts that take on a life of their own and go where they want to go. Tiny bit of a cliffhanger for once at the end, but not too serious. ;) I apologize if the whole arcade setting is possibly very Americana in feeling. I can only write from my own experience with such things, which is of course colored by where I live. But since Vampire Knight is probably set in some alternate version of the future anyway in who knows what location... *hopes she can get away with it* XD This chapter and this whole fic is written for fluff / fun value, so hopefully it brings a smile even if it's a little silly. :)
Happy little hug-nod to YenGirl for the idea of our dear boys using ear plugs to dampen the sound when things might otherwise be too loud. :) Oh, and don't forget to check my bio for info on where to find my individual review responses.
Chapter Five: "In the Arcade"
Inside the arcade was a cornucopia of stale smells, loud sounds, uneven lighting and a fairly large amount of people crowded into a small, garishly decorated space. The cacophony of video game music, sound effects, explosions and voices was deafening. Kaname's head started pounding almost the second they stepped inside. He would never have set foot through that door on his own volition, but with Zero leading he simply followed quietly. Zero had been willing to give Kabuki a shot for him, apparently despite previous bad experiences, it was only fair to return the favor. Besides... Kaname would have followed Zero anywhere.
Zero glanced around thoughtfully. He didn't remember arcades being quite this loud, but then, he hadn't been in one in some years, not since his vampire nature had fully awakened. His ears were probably more sensitive now. And if it seemed a little loud to him, it meant Kaname's ears had to be practically bleeding... Zero fished quickly in his pocket for the small package of earplugs he tried to carry everywhere. The longer he'd been drinking Kaname's blood, the more acute his hearing had become and he'd had to find a way to cope when those extra senses were bothersome. He'd popped the small plastic box into his pocket before leaving his room in case whatever show the Edo was putting on had been overly amplified. He hadn't needed them at the dinner theater, but they would come in handy now.
Actually, the sound level was just on the edge of okay for him and he wasn't going to use the earplugs, but he was thinking of Kaname. He always carried an extra set for the pureblood, ever since Zero had realized that a lot of things that Kaname didn't want to do, he avoided simply because the ultra-sensitive vampire couldn't stand the noise level. Kaname didn't like artificially dampening his senses. The stubborn pureblood seemed to expect himself to just muscle through the pain, but Zero thought that was ridiculous. It wasn't as if Kaname's hearing wasn't still far better than any humans, even with the earplugs. After finding out what a relief they could provide, Kaname had hesitantly warmed to the idea. So when Zero pulled the familiar case out of his pocket and passed Kaname two little circles of fresh wax, the pureblood hesitated only a moment or two before taking them.
"We'll just try a couple of games and then go, okay?" the hunter half stated, half assured, speaking loudly to be heard over the sounds of the arcade. He wanted to give Kaname the experience, but not make him feel he had to stay if the pureblood didn't enjoy it.
Kaname nodded as he settled his ear plugs, feeling immediately better when the electronic humming and shrilling of the games dropped a few decibels. His headache receding, he was able to be more curious about their surroundings. Really, there was something kind of fascinating about the foreign setting and the cheerfully glowing machines with their various enticing facades. There hadn't been a lot of time in his life for games or other childhood pastimes and his guardian, Asato Ichijo, like many traditional old-blood vampires, had not been big on having a lot of frivolous technology in his house.
Zero scanned the room briefly, looking for less crowded areas and games that he remembered. He wondered if maybe he was a little too old for this after all, but in reality most of the humans in the place were only a little younger than them, some a little older. It was only his and Kaname's lives that had aged them both to maturity so far ahead of their time.
Kaname had been observing the other people in the arcade as well, and he'd deduced that the games needed money to run - which made sense, there had to be some profit in this after all. Given the handfuls of gold colored coins that people were carrying around, it wasn't normal money either. His astute gaze traveled quickly to a nearby wall where several younger children were scooping a handful of the tarnished golden coins out of the dish of a machine that seemed to accept paper money and turn it into the arcade's local form of currency.
"This is where you get the game coins?" Kaname inquired rhetorically as he made his way purposefully to the token machine, pulling his billfold from his pocket.
Zero started to nod and then noticed the denomination of the bill that Kaname was feeding into the slot. "Wait...!" but it was too late, the machine had already sucked it in and with a whir it began to happily churn forth a steady stream of tokens which fell clattering into the metal collection dish below.
"Kaname, that was too much!" Zero protested in amused aggravation, quickly reaching out and cupping his hands to catch the overflow as the little metal bowl quickly filled to the top and started to spill, gushing tokens like someone had just hit the jackpot.
The stickers giving the exchange rate of tokens for cash had long ago been worn off or dog-eared into illegibility and Kaname, not knowing better, had assumed the tokens were more expensive than they actually were. He seemed a bit surprised and chagrined by the amount of them that were now spilling forth. "Oops," he said with a charming smile to Zero to cover his embarrassment as he helped his date scoop up the still spewing tokens. The two vampires filled their pockets swiftly and the machine finally stopped, sending the last few tokens sliding down into the receptacle with an innocent jangle.
A few people had stopped to glance quizzically at them because of all the clatter. A couple smaller children giggled and the attendant behind the counter in the other corner of the room was shooting them a suspicious gaze as if they'd done something to break the machine. He'd probably never seen anyone stick that large a bill into the till before. Flushing, Zero grabbed Kaname's sleeve and quickly led him off into the rows of beeping, buzzing games in order to escape the glances. Their heavy pants pockets jangled softly, thawping slowly against their legs like saddle bags as they walked.
"Geez... do you have to draw so much attention everywhere we go?" Zero muttered. He was teasing, but Kaname was feeling a bit self-conscious and was not as perceptive as normal.
"Sorry," the pureblood murmured, feeling completely on the wrong foot in this unfamiliar setting. Even the children apparently knew more about how this worked than he did. It was rare for him to be in a situation where it felt like everyone else knew what to do and he didn't, but it happened on occasion, and he didn't like it. There was something instinctively terrifying to him about being in uncharted waters - it was like a soldier who didn't have the lay of the land and therefore couldn't plan his attack or exit strategies effectively. It was stupid to feel that way in a situation like this, but it was still instinctual. He didn't like the feeling that Zero thought him an idiot either.
Zero, fortunately, caught the unexpectedly subdued tone in Kaname's voice and shot him a quick glance. Ah, crap. There he went again. Kaname couldn't make normal little mistakes and shrug them off. They were always huge failures in his eyes. It was a little frustrating actually, but Zero's heart went out to him anyway.
"It's fine," the hunter said more gently, giving a small shrug and a rueful little smile that seemed to reassure his companion. "We'll get to play a lot of games, that's all. Come on, let's try this one." He selected the closest open machine and waved Kaname over, extracting a couple tokens from his pocket and popping them into the appropriate slots. The hunter raised an eyebrow at the price required to play. It really had been a while since he'd been to an arcade or else this was just an expensive place. Given these prices they might run through Kaname's tokens faster than he'd expected. Fortunately, they certainly had enough of them.
Kaname moved to stand beside Zero at the game controls as some badly animated characters stalked onto the screen and started punching at one another. The pureblood wrapped one hand around the joystick and placed his other over the colorful buttons beside it, subtly mimicking Zero's movements. But that was about as far as mimicry could get him. Moving the character on the screen with the joystick was easy, he got that part, but the buttons were baffling and had a tendency to make the character look like he was having an epileptic seizure. Other characters on the screen kept coming over and trying to beat his character up. At first he thought Zero was doing it but then he realized that the character Zero was playing was busy fighting on the other side of the screen.
Kaname found the punch and kick buttons, but they didn't always seem to work and he couldn't figure out how to block or duck. The pureblood squinted, unintentionally leaning closer to the screen as he rapidly slapped the buttons. It was insane to fight with three little buttons, how could you possibly simulate real battle that way? Now if the little character would just jump now and flip over his attacker, he could land behind him and have his heart before you blinked. But of course, all the avatar would do was jab his fists around and get knocked on his bum. The joystick started to deform in his hand, the screen flickered and Kaname quickly scaled back on his concentration and frustration. Calm down, it's just a game.
Zero glanced sideways at him in mild alarm as if suddenly having visions of them blacking out the arcade and wondering if this had been a good idea. Kaname gave him a quick smile to indicate he had already caught his slip and Zero's attention darted back to the screen where the hunter was kicking tiny digital ass with an aplomb that the pureblood envied.
Kaname's gaze narrowed as Zero knocked a couple opponents flat. Wait... how'd he do that? That wasn't fair.
"White, white, blue, white," Zero tried to instruct distractedly when he saw Kaname was cornered and flailing randomly on the other side of the screen. He was struggling a little to remember how to do this himself. It had been a while and the controls were a bit different on this game than the version to which he was accustomed.
Kaname wondered for a moment if Zero were speaking in code, but quickly deduced that it was some kind of combo move corresponding to the button colors. He tried it, but it was too late and his character was already lying in a little blinking heap with the others stomping on it while big numbers appeared on the screen.
"I think this is broken," Kaname commented when he couldn't get the avatar to move and the numbers continued to count down.
"No, you died, put two more tokens in," Zero corrected distractedly, tapping the buttons rapidly as he darted back and forth.
Kaname thought this was a rather pointless game, but did as he was instructed. He inserted the tokens. The numbers continued counting down to nothing and then went away, but try as he might, the little man he'd been playing before refused to obey him now. The character wandered around the screen and started fighting on his own instead. Admittedly, he seemed to be doing better without Kaname's interference, but the pureblood didn't think this was how it was supposed to work. He jiggled the joystick, but trying to control the avatar appeared to be about as useful as trying to control Zero... the thought made Kaname smile. "No, I think it's broken," he repeated.
Zero glanced over in mild exasperation and then grinned as he realized the problem. "No, you have to push start to continue."
When Kaname didn't move, the hunter reached over and slapped a red button - which was not labeled "start", Kaname noted. However, it did apparently return control of the avatar to the pureblood, because the poor little guy on the screen stopped moving and promptly got piled on by the burly attackers around him.
"I think he was doing better without me," Kaname commented in amusement as he resumed trying to figure out the baffling game.
Zero had accidentally gotten killed while helping Kaname restart his game. He opted not to put more coins in however, instead stopping to watch the pureblood and trying to prompt him on what buttons to use. The ex-human couldn't help finding his lover's puzzled attempts precious and humorous. Kaname, deadly prince of the vampire world, was being soundly trounced by a video game. Good thing Aido wasn't here, he'd probably turn the offending machine into an ice sculpture.
"Kick! I mean, blue!" Zero urged. Kaname did as he was told, but a half a second too late and one of the other characters on the screen picked Kaname's avatar up and threw him against the wall. Kaname thought the game wasn't very realistic. It was a pity that the consol didn't have a "satisfyingly squash all characters like bugs with your mind" button. It would have saved so much time.
When the pureblood died again, Zero shook his head in amusement and gave up. Kaname was very smart and would doubtless get the hang of it given time, but there were some kids standing behind them now, waiting for the game. Zero wanted to move away before Kaname realized the children were sniggering at him. He could pick on Kaname, that didn't mean anyone else got to do so.
"I don't much like that one really. Here, let's try this one," Zero said, taking Kaname by the elbow and tugging him over to another open machine across the aisle. Red and blue plastic guns rested in upraised slots in front of the machine. Zero picked up the blue one and placed it in Kaname's hand before bending to pop the required tokens into the slots for both players.
"The controls are much simpler," Zero said with a dry grin, picking up the other gun as the game started. "Just point..." he demonstrated, aiming at the screen as a large, crazed looking zombie charged them, "and shoot." The zombie's head exploded in a splash of highly unrealistic purple blood. Zero hadn't examined the game too hard before choosing it and felt suddenly glad that it was a zombie attack game and not something more awkward like... say... vampire attack. Not that he or Kaname would have a problem playing something like that. Actually, it probably would have been funny, yet given his very real profession, it just... it wasn't the kind of thing Zero wanted to do in front of Kaname right now.
Kaname raised his eyebrows at the graphics, but he definitely got the idea and quickly started picking targets on his side of the screen. Now this he understood perfectly. Both of them having excellent aim and reflexes, they blasted their way through the game pretty easily without losing too many lives. They did have to feed more tokens in a couple of times, which was kind of Kaname's fault, although in his defense Zero had forgotten to mention that A) you had to shoot off the screen to reload, and B) not everyone running around out there was a target and you lost lives for shooting non-zombies. Once those two little obstacles were out of the way, however, they cleared level after level until the game's minimally present plot line finally wound to its climactic end.
Zero was glad to see that Kaname was grinning as he returned his gun to its holster. He'd wanted him to have fun and it looked like the pureblood was finally starting to relax and get into the swing of things. They played many other games after that. Some were too easy, such as the ball toss games that both vampires could ace on every throw, but others presented more of a challenge. By the time they were racing digital cars through outlandish racetracks on distant planets they were both laughing, joking and trash talking one another's performance with the comfort of friends who could have been doing this forever.
Zero smiled as he threw his car into a sharp turn, intentionally slamming into the side of Kaname's car and trying to force him off the track as they raced neck-and-neck. It was really... nice... just doing normal things like this with Kaname. Both of them had had to grow up too fast, both of them felt much older than their teenage bodies indicated, but deep down they still wanted the same things as other young people - to live, to love, to laugh and enjoy life. He and Kaname had gone from being enemies to lovers; it was nice to continue discovering that they could also be friends.
Kaname tapped on his brakes, letting Zero shoot ahead of him only to step on the gas and use his turbo boost to come right back up behind him, slamming into the hunter's car from the rear and making it spin into the air.
"Hey!" Zero protested as the pureblood zoomed ahead. "You're learning to play this way too well..." he groused, but he was still grinning.
Kaname beamed devilishly as he spun around another curve, compensating for the game's sluggish over-sensitivity by taking the turn as tightly as possible. He shot Zero a sparkling look as he zipped across the finish line a few feet in the lead. "I had a good teacher."
They were just climbing out of the racing seats when the lights pulsed to get the patrons' attentions and a muffled PA system competed with the music of a dozen singing video games. The man behind the counter in the corner announced that the next laser tag game was ready to begin and anyone who wanted to join should come to the desk.
Zero glanced towards the front where some of the other teens were already starting to queue up and Kaname saw a flare of interest in the hunter's amethyst eyes before he quickly glanced down at his dress clothing, then at Kaname and seemed to dismiss the notion with regret.
"Laser tag?" Kaname inquired, inwardly thinking it sounded kind of childish, but giving no hint of those feelings since he had seen that Zero kind of wanted to do it. "Let's try that."
Zero looked surprised and gave Kaname an inquiring glance. "Are you sure? We're not exactly dressed for it."
Kaname wasn't sure, actually, he didn't even know how laser tag was played, but he was having fun. He was ready to try new things, and he really wanted to make Zero happy. So he nodded. "Of course. Let's go."
Zero grinned. "Okay. But we'll have to go easy on the others, 'kay?"
Kaname grinned back as if he knew what the heck Zero was talking about and nodded in agreement.
When they reached the desk the young man behind the counter gave their suits a sweeping, skeptical glance, but made no comment as he informed them of the price to play. Kaname started to reach for his wallet again but Zero stopped him. The hunter emptied his pockets of most of the remaining tokens and nodded at Kaname to do the same. The pureblood complied and they counted out the price of the game from their abundant token stash. The man behind the desk didn't look entirely happy at having to count all the tokens as well, but he couldn't refuse since there was nothing that said patrons couldn't pay in tokens. After being satisfied that they had all counted right, the attendant pushed a pair of brightly colored tickets with numbers stamped on them across the counter to the two vampires.
Kaname was glad to be rid of the extra, jangling weight from his pockets and Zero seemed pleased at having found a use for the large excess of tokens that they probably weren't going to use otherwise. Kaname grinned as they followed the rest of the group into a small room beyond the main arcade. Zero always seemed happy when he could be thrifty. It was not a notion that Kaname really understood, and sometimes Zero's attitude towards money was almost frustrating, but right now he thought it was adorable.
The attendant followed them into the room and demonstrated how to use the laser tag equipment, explained about the different lighted colors of the "mines" mounted on the walls inside the arena - which ones gave you points when you shot them, and which ones would shoot you and take points away, and went over the rules of conduct. He spoke quickly and perfunctorily in a way that said he had the spiel memorized and most of the other players seemed to be antsy to just get going, but Kaname was glad for the explanation and listened carefully. Zero did too. He knew how to play quite well, but each arena was different.
After the brief instructions, the attendant let them through into the weapons room, pointed out where they should leave their tickets and then left to return to his place at the desk. Racks of vests and guns hung on the wall. Zero noticed that each vest had a large number emblazoned on it and glanced at the corresponding numbers on their tickets. "I think we use the gear that matches our numbers," he commented, making note of his number before tossing his ticket into the return barrel. That had been left out of the explanation, but it made sense.
Zero reached for vest 23, but realized that his suit coat was inhibiting his movement as he unhooked the gear from the wall and pulled it down. Shrugging out of his coat, he carefully tied it around his waist by the arms, trying not to wrinkle it too horrendously, but getting much better mobility in just his shirt sleeves. He slid the harness-like vest over his head and checked the gun which was attached to it by a springy cord.
Kaname, once more copying Zero, had slowly shrugged out of his coat as well and was now holding it a trifle uncertainly.
"Here, like this, you'll move easier," Zero said, taking the coat from Kaname and tying it around his waist as he'd done with his own. The soft glint of Kaname's diamond studded cufflinks made Zero pause as he suddenly realized that Kaname's suit probably cost more than the arcade earned in a month. And here he was actually tying the silky, tailored sleeves of the suit coat in a knot as if it was a sweatshirt or a hoodie.
Zero paused, his fingers gliding momentarily across the deliciously soft fabric of Kaname's chocolate dress shirt. They really, really weren't dressed to be playing games like this. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked quietly. "Your suit..."
"Can be easily pressed and cleaned later," Kaname assured. "This looks fun." He meant it this time. Now that he knew they got to shoot at one another it was sounding a lot less like what he thought of when he heard the word "tag" and a lot more like a fun excuse to hunt and try to best one another. Oh, and random other people too, apparently. "Or are you afraid I'm going to cream you again...?" Kaname teased, challenge dancing in his eyes.
Zero scoffed, pulling Kaname's vest and gun combo down from the wall and tossing it to him. "What again? You win a couple of races and you think you're hot stuff? You better watch out, I do this all the time, and on much harder courses," he warned with an answering winkle of challenge in his gaze. "Sometime I'll have to take you to one of the Association's training centers. They use somewhat similar equipment for training exercises and proficiency exams. Their arenas are massive."
Kaname was quite intrigued to hear that. Zero didn't usually talk about his work or his hunter training much. It was nice to see him so relaxed. "Really? I think I should like to see that... if they'd let me in," he added with a chuckle, not at all sure that they would. Untamed vampires were not usually welcome on hunter premises, especiallypurebloods.
Zero hadn't seemed to think of that and gave a small shrug, realizing what Kaname said was true but not letting it dampen his mood. "Well, you never know..." he said with sly grin as he clicked his harness shut, glancing to make sure that Kaname had correctly done his fastenings as well. "They might... if you volunteered to be the target."
Kaname chuckled, testing the weight of the bulky gun in his hand and shifting the vest a little on his shoulders. "Mm, I'm sure they'd like that." His own smile turned devilish. "But I'm afraid they'd be at too great a disadvantage, it wouldn't be fair."
Zero grinned and shook his head as the doors to the arena opened and the waiting young people all started flooding through. The two vampires went with the flow and found themselves in a large arena that was lit with black light, making some colors glow and others fade. There was an obstacle course inside modeled like a mini urban jungle with plenty of places to hide, climb and exploit throughout the twenty minutes of play time allotted.
"Look," Kaname pointed out several of the glowing orbs on the walls that they had been warned about, making a quick mental note of their positions. Zero nodded, doing the same. The pureblood remembered something having been said about the players working in teams but he didn't see how exactly that was supposed to be decided. This motley, mixed lot didn't seem to have much cohesiveness of any kind and it might be tricky to segregate them efficiently. There were a large number of teenagers, at least six children probably under the age of ten, and a couple of older adults who were either parents of some of the younger children, or just kids at heart.
"How do you suppose the teams are going to be chosen...?" he started to ask.
Just then, a siren sounded. A low, pulsing music began to play and small lights on all the players' vests came on, some vests glowing green, some red. "Green team, go! Red team, go!" a voice said over the PA, answering the question of how the teams were to be chosen. The vests decided.
Kaname and Zero looked at one another. Kaname's vest was glowing green and Zero's was glowing red. Opposite teams. Weapons snapped up and they both got a shot in even as they rapidly ducked and peeled away, darting for cover. Their vests buzzed and the lights flashed.
Kaname ducked behind some orange barrels and Zero darted up a winding scaffold, taking the high ground. They continued to pepper one another with invisible shots until they were out of range. A digital scoreboard on the wall kept track of which team was ahead, periodically announcing it over the PA amid the low, driving throb of the music.
Kaname quickly discovered that your vest buzzed, the lights on it flashed and you couldn't shoot for ten seconds after having been shot, but neither could anyone else shoot you again until after that time either. He also discovered that the idea of a team here was a rather loose definition as everybody seemed to more or less do their own thing. It was an incredibly haphazard way to run things and he naturally started trying to organize, even while keeping an eye out for Red team members who were running about with the same haphazard but chaotically effective randomness.
Since they were humans, and not vampires, the other teens ignored him at first, content to do their own thing and not used to a more concerted approach to this game. The younger children, however, seemed quite happy to "play army" and follow their new de-facto commander's lead. Kaname smiled. Children were great that way. After Kaname's little army pulled a rather spectacular bait-and-ambush on a number of older Red team players however, other Green team members started becoming more interested and soon Kaname had the majority of them happily playing along with his strategies. If there was one thing he was good at, it was getting people to do what he wanted.
Zero was content to ignore the rest of the Red team and let them do as they pleased. He moved much better and played more effectively alone, preferring to defend his team members by picking off their attackers and keeping the other side on the run. The hunter was devastatingly good as a sniper, scrambling and climbing quickly from one vantage point to the next and consistently staying at the top of the Red Team's score list as he racked up an impressive number of points without presenting a clear target for retaliation. Attack and retreat. Don't let the opponent see you unless you want them to and always try to make the first move because you couldn't be sure you'd get a chance to make the second one. It was a cornerstone of his hunter training and it served him just as well here in this pretend setting as it did in the real world.
Only here... it was fun, because there was no real danger to anyone, just friendly, adrenaline-pumping competition. Especially since he'd not been able to catch more than a glimpse of Kaname since the game started, and naturally, getting Kaname was what he really wanted to do. The rest of the players were just collateral.
But Kaname, as usual, was presenting a constantly shifting and well-guarded target, moving his team members around the mock battlefield with tactical savvy, using them both to raid and to soak up the brunt of any attacks before they could reach the pureblood.
Zero grinned grimly to himself as he had to jump behind a plywood partition, slamming his back against it and dropping into a crouch to avoid an enthusiastic ambush by some far too organized Green team players. He should have figured that if anyone could actually organize a group like this, it would be Kaname. The pureblood was a born leader and it was obviously his preferred fighting style, just like solo commando was Zero's. In so many ways they were different, and yet in so many ways, they were also much the same.
Zero ducked out of his hiding place long enough to pop off a string of incredibly accurate shots that sent five Green team member's vests buzzing before dropping back into a crouch and rolling to a different hiding place. Yes, they were the same in some ways. Like the fact that Zero could clearly tell Kaname's entire strategy was based upon trying to flush him out. Obviously, Zero was the quarry that really mattered to the pureblood as well.
From a distance, Kaname picked off several red players as they ran across an open space. Keeping his back to the wall, he moved swiftly and silently to another vantage point. The arena was well constructed, while there were plenty of good places to hide and dart behind, there were really very few places that were actually defensible or secure. The nature of the landscape and the position of the wall mines meant that players had to keep moving in order to avoid being found and shot, especially since the glowing vests didn't really allow for much stealth.
Kaname was doing an admirable job of not getting shot and save for Zero's first hit, had yet to lose any points in that manner. His natural instincts led him to a systematic approach that was as equally concerned with his team dominating the field of play and keeping his score up by not getting shot as it was with upping his score by shooting others. The pureblood's keen eyes searched his surroundings for a flash of silver hair, but Zero was doing far too good at staying out of sight, even though Kaname's team was methodically sweeping the arena in small groups. Finally, he caught sight of his elusive date in an unexpected place.
Zero suddenly rolled out into the dead, unprotected open center of the maze and charged across it. Kaname felt his vest buzz even as he swung his weapon in that direction. Zero flashed him a satisfied smirk and a little head-salute, the hunter's swift reflexes allowing him down almost everyone in sight before he rolled back behind cover, his blinking vest and indicating that someone had hit him.
Zero had known someone would, it was impossible not to get hit in that position, but he'd been counting on his reflexes to let him get enough shots in to make the hit worthwhile. Getting Kaname alone would have been worthwhile. The pureblood was more elusive than mist when he wanted to be. Zero didn't mind trading off getting shot for achieving his goal, and he knew Kaname well enough to know that he preferred shrewd strategy to random kamikaze acts, which meant they were a good thing to use if he wanted to get close enough to the pureblood to score.
Kaname grinned as he quickly shifted to another location, waiting for his own vest to stop blinking. Ah... of course, the hunter knew him and his tactics far too well. Good move, Zero... I will be more watchful. Quite against all apparent odds, Kaname found he was very thoroughly enjoying himself. The game appealed to his nature, allowing him the thrill of the hunt in a safe, non-contact environment where there was little chance of his truly predatory instincts being engaged or his control seriously tested. This was just plain fun.
Time seemed to fly as the two sides scrambled and shouted and laughed and shot one another. Green totally ruled the field of play, but at least one player on Red continued to top the score list, driving it up a full digit place above everyone else's.
Zero had to remain on his toes though, because it became clearer and clearer that Kaname had all the Green players after him in particular. Fortunately, he was quite good at evading. Narrowly skirting an ambush, Zero ducked quickly into the shadows behind one of the arena's taller support towers. It was only a few feet from the wall and out of the main area of play. It was presently deserted and Zero took the moment to catch his breath and scope the field by sound. He resisted the urge to check his weapon, which would normally have been prudent, but with these laser guns was unnecessary.
Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Zero got only a millisecond of warning. His instincts screamed vampire even as his vest buzzed and he felt a strong, familiar arm curl around his throat from behind. In the shadows of the plastic and plywood tower, Kaname jerked Zero in against his chest, holding the ex-human to him with his gun pressed against the sensor in the middle of Zero's back. Zero knew Kaname had been somewhere on the other side of the arena only moments ago, he'd sensed him out there.
The hunter jerked, but didn't have time to react before he found himself pinned. Kaname had caught him by surprise and the pureblood was much, much too fast. He yelped a soft curse without meaning to, his heart hammering in his chest. The play battle had gotten his instincts going and feeling a vampire suddenly get the drop on him like that had ratcheted his heart up into his throat, even though it was only Kaname.
"Kaname... you better not let people see you move that fast," he growled, trying not to pant too hard or let Kaname feel the momentary tremble in his limbs as his heart started to settle back into some semblance of its proper place. Zero still had his weapon in hand. With the way the guns were tethered, you couldn't really disarm anyone in this game, nor were you supposed to. The weapon was useless for the moment, but Zero was counting off the seconds in his head until his vest would re-activate.
Kaname grinned broadly, also keeping a careful mental count of how long until Zero was able to both shoot and be shot again. "Don't worry," he purred in Zero's ear. "Nobody can see me when I move that fast."
He nuzzled his face against the side of Zero's neck, pushing that deliciously provocative collar down so he could kiss and suck on the soft, warm, pale flesh below. They were well hidden back here and he would hear if anyone was approaching long before they could be seen. He felt Zero's pulse throbbing rapidly under his tongue and the pureblood gave a small, delighted little moan in the back of his throat.
Zero shuddered softly, definitely not from fright this time as the warm suction on his sensitive neck sent little jolts of pleasure through his already highly keyed up system. Adrenaline was one heck of an aphrodisiac. Maybe that was part of why he and Kaname enjoyed sparring so much. There was something innately thrilling about catching or being caught after a pitched struggle. It was a natural high that was incredibly hard to resist and even Zero found it easy to lose himself in the moment as he heard Kaname's heart throbbing rapidly and felt his strong arms about him.
His chest heaving softly, Zero inhaled the pureblood's delicious scent and addictive pheromones, making his head spin even harder. He felt the dangerous, teasing scrape of fangs against the moist skin and his stomach fluttered, hard. A delicious jolt of sheer fire coiled in his groin and an equal jolt of apprehension knotted his gut.
Oh crap! Kaname's fangs were aroused. If his eyes were glowing it would be almost impossible to miss in the dim lighting. Zero should have realized that being in an environment like this was likely to kick off the pureblood's instincts. He wasn't worried like he would have been with many other vampires; he was quite certain Kaname wasn't about to endanger any of the humans here, but having to wipe everyone in the arcade's memories wasn't really on his to-do list for tonight.
"Kaname...!" Zero gasped around the arm that still had the front of his throat trapped, his voice squeaking a little more than he intended. He stopped struggling, knowing full well that fighting an aroused Kaname was like running from an angry bear. It was certain to gain the opposite reaction to the one desired. Struggling would only further fuel the vampire's predatory instincts.
The pureblood's sharp, seductive fangs brushed his throat again, purposefully trailing across the hunter's jugular while Kaname's tongue flicked teasingly against the soft flesh. Zero's chest shook slightly as he struggled to draw another dizzy, shuddering breath. He tried to keep his voice steady and calming. "Are you okay? M-maybe we should go..." Those damn, incredible sharp points brushed his throat again and Zero almost forgot what he was saying, barely stifling a completely humiliating little breathless moan.
Zero was quite afraid that Kaname was going to bite him right here and now. Okay... afraid was the wrong word because it implied that he didn't want Kaname to bite him, which was embarrassingly very much not the case. His neck was burning from Kaname's touch and throbbing with the desire to be penetrated. The danger of discovery and the fact that this was very definitely not a good time only made the desire stronger. The two of them had been playing with fire all night, testing their restraint, and each time they pushed it, it got harder to pull back from the edge.
"I don't want to go; I'm having far too much fun..." Kaname purred, his black-silk voice washing over Zero's senses like chocolate ice - cool and sinful. The pureblood enjoyed the feeling of Zero's body trying not to tremble in his arms and the way Zero unconsciously canted his head a little to the side as if begging to be bitten despite himself. It was almost impossible to resist, but Kaname did resist. What Zero could not see was that the pureblood's sparkling eyes were their normal shade somewhere between chocolate and sanguine. He was in perfect control of himself and his instincts, but he was definitely having fun.
"And..." Kaname purred, hesitating as he sucked intensely against Zero's pulse, his fangs worrying the skin without breaking it. The lights on Zero's vest stopped blinking. "You lost count, didn't you?"
For a moment Zero's brain couldn't figure out the statement. Then he started as understanding flooded him at about the same time that he felt the buzz telling him that Kaname had just shot him again, the second his vest had reactivated.
"You... you!" Zero sputtered as Kaname laughed against his neck. The hunter realized that his partner was in no danger of vamping out at all and that he had just been very effectively played. The pureblood had known that Zero would be still and passive to try and negate any flaring of his instincts if the hunter thought he'd been overly stimulated by the game. Clever bastard.
Kaname just laughed, kissing Zero's neck with seductive playfulness, even as his fangs reluctantly retracted. "Honestly, don't you think my control is better than that? You wouldn't be alive if I gave in so easily..." he teased.
Zero felt Kaname's vest buzz against his back as someone on Red team running through the overhead above randomly shot down towards the lights on their equipment. Their body positions were hidden in darkness, but the red and green lights still made good targets.
The ceiling lights started flashing overhead. "Ten seconds left to play!" the PA announced. "Ten, nine, eight..."
Kaname loosed his grip on Zero as he sensed others approaching. It was technically against the arcade's rules to grip or grapple with other players but Kaname was more concerned about Zero's feelings after the promises he'd made. Much as he didn't want to let go, he didn't want to be seen either. Not that he cared, but he knew Zero did.
"Three, two, one..."
Zero took the opportunity to spin out of Kaname's grip and whirl around. Kaname's vest reactivated and he and Zero fired at the same time, both vests buzzing right before the timer counted down to zero and everyone's equipment deactivated. The overhead lights brightened and the music fell still, signaling that the game was over and it was time for everyone to exit back to the armory and return their gear.
Zero wiped perspiration dampened hair out of his eyes as he unhooked his gear, lifting the vest off over his head and hanging it back up while Kaname did the same.
Two little boys and a little girl, still wearing vests which their parents were trying to get off of them, ran up to Kaname. "Play again! Play again!" they urged excitedly, the little boys still mock shooting each other while the little girl tugged on Kaname's pants leg.
Kaname looked at a somewhat amused loss and Zero laughed softly. "Kaname, you have fans. Your loyal troops don't want you to leave."
"No, enough now, it's already past your bed time, we said one game..." a woman who appeared to be the children's mother said as she came to collect them. She gave Kaname a pleasant and apologetic smile, bidding him a distracted thank you before shepherding her over-excited children away. The older kids usually ignored or snubbed the younger ones, and she appreciated that this boy had apparently taken time to make them feel included.
Zero chuckled as he watched Kaname hang up his gear. "You are good with kids," he observed before his smile turned teasing. "And you are such a smooth operator. You realize that woman just thanked you for using her kids as soldiers and intentionally sending them out to soak up enemy fire."
Kaname chuckled, giving Zero a deviously innocent look. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Of course they both knew he did, Kaname was a ruthless tactician and the children had been perfect for decoys and frontal assaults because not only were they small and harder to hit, they didn't care if they got shot, as long as they got to run around and have fun. However, Zero also knew that if there had been any real danger, Kaname's strategy would have been much different and he would have kept the children well out of harm's way.
Kaname untied his now somewhat rumpled suit coat from about his waist and shrugged back into it. He was too warm now, but he wasn't entirely comfortable walking around with it about his waist like that. He smoothed the rumpled sleeves absently with his hands and then checked the rose on his lapel. He'd actually made a semi-effort to be careful of it despite the chaos of the game, and it had come through in fine shape. Of course, Zero's flowers tended to be rather hardy and self-regenerating, which helped.
Zero was too hot and left his suit coat around his waist for the moment. Plus... silly as it may seem, he realized he'd forgotten to be careful of his own boutonniere, and he wanted to get a look at it before he let Kaname see whether he'd accidently wrecked it or not.
As they exited the weapon room, they saw that the team scores were up on the display behind the counter in the main game room and many of the players had congregated around the desk, pointing and talking. Apparently the arcade gave out prizes for high scores over a certain amount and stickers to the winning team.
Green team had won, all the players having fairly large scores. Four of them, including Kaname were up into the prize range for high scores, which was unusual because there was normally only one or two die-hard players that ever got up there in any given round and most games had no high score winners. The three other Green team teens who had won and their friends gave Kaname a friendly greeting when he and Zero emerged. They clapped the pureblood lightly on the back and arms in a chummy manner, obviously smart enough to realize that he was largely responsible for their success. They all seemed pretty hyper and practically dragged the pureblood up to the desk to choose his prize. One of the girls in the group was using the excuse of getting him up there as a reason to hang on his arm and casually press her body against his side.
Kaname acquiesced somewhat awkwardly, obviously trying to hide his discomfort and Zero laughed in amused delight. He knew that Kaname probably just hated being touched and hung on like that, not to mention being so closely surrounded by people. It was adorable to see the pureblood's faint, but distinct flush. Yet at the same time Kaname looked happy in a way. It wasn't often that he was treated so normally by random strangers, even if it was obviously embarrassing him.
Kaname shot Zero a help me look, but Zero just grinned and shrugged innocently.
"What do you want me to do, shoot them?" the hunter mouthed silently, knowing Kaname could more or less read his lips enough to get the idea.
Kaname gave him a withering glare. Zero was having way too much fun with his discomfiture. Kaname was very disconcerted by the girl who was happily pressed up against him and who was now playing with his hair, for crying out loud! So he quickly selected something from the prize case so he could escape. He chose a small, multi-color, battery operated party / disco light because it was the least cheesy looking thing there and because damn it was really hard to think with that girl breathing in his ear and rocking her breasts against him. Seriously...
"And there's Player 11!" the man behind the counter said as soon as he caught sight of Zero through the rest of the crowd. The attendant looked significantly less bored than earlier. Zero froze, the grin on his face vanishing in apprehension as his gaze traveled back to the scoreboard. Green team had won because their overall scores were the combined highest, but one player on Red team stood out as the highest score in the entire game, causing Red team to come in a very close second.
"Yes, you, come on down here," the man said, gesturing to Zero when the hunter hesitated. The happy throng was only too delighted to turn its attention to the hunter, sweeping him forwards. "We have never had anyone score that high," the young man behind the desk said, sounding pretty impressed as he handed Zero two coupons, one for a free all day pass at the arcade, and one for free food at Hungry Burger.
The other players whooped in congratulations and envy and it was Zero's turn to look discomfited by all the attention as he quickly took the coupons with a nod and tucked them into his pocket. "Thanks..."
"Wait, wait," the employee said when Zero tried to back away. "I want to get a picture of you with the score board. We'll hang it on the wall."
Zero was starting to seriously flush now. "No, that's okay, we have to go..." he tried to decline, but Kaname came up beside him with a dazzling and unhelpful smile.
"Oh come on, Zero, that's a great idea! It won't take long, will it?" he asked the attendant who produced a Polaroid camera in answer.
Zero scowled and the pureblood's smile widened. "Why don't you get in the shot too, my dear?" he said innocently to the girl still hanging on him like a barnacle, gently but firmly dislodging her and giving her a nudge towards Zero. The girl seemed to like the idea of getting in a photo that was going to hang on the wall of one of her favorite haunts and happily transferred to Zero's side, giving the hunter a deeply appreciative look and silently hoping that these two hotties decided to come here more often.
Zero shot Kaname a look that promised death as the girl leaned up against him. Kaname chuckled as she wrapped her arm around his waist and laid her head on Zero's shoulder, giving a peace sign with her other hand while a couple of her friends edged their way eagerly into the shot as well, making rabbit ears behind each other's heads and pointing at Zero like a celebrity.
The man with the camera seemed to guess that he wasn't going to get a clean shot, but it was good business to make the regulars happy anyway. "Hey, why don't you get in the picture too," he said to Kaname with a shrug, since just about everyone else was crowding into it anyway.
Kaname shrugged in return. Why not? He edged into the frame, managing to avoid going anywhere near barnacle girl and the attendant snapped the picture. The crowd broke up then and started trickling away, laughing and talking, moving on to other pursuits with the restlessness of youth. Kaname looked over to find that the girl was still with Zero. She'd produced a permanent marker from her pocket and appeared to be writing something on the hunter's hand. Zero looked like he was seriously considering yanking his hand away except that he possibly feared she might try to write on some other part of his body.
Kaname moved closer and saw that part the writing appeared to be a phone number. The girl looked up as she caught sight of him, marker poised and he backed up quickly. "I'll share his," he said quickly, pointing at Zero and making a show of being busy holding the box that contained his prize. The girl's friends were calling to her from across the arcade so she just laughed and sauntered away, blowing them both a kiss over her shoulder.
"Shall we leave... quickly?" Kaname inquired, looking over at Zero who looked like he very much wanted to wipe his hand on his pants, but didn't want to stain the slacks.
"Yes, very quickly," Zero agreed, but paused for a moment first. "Oh, but you can't forget this..." he said, quickly snatching up one of the stickers that had been given out to all the Green team players for their win.
Kaname eyed it like it might bite. "Yes. I can. I really can."
Zero shook his head resolutely, mischief in his eyes as he peeled the large round sticker off its backing. "Nope. You won it fair and square; you should wear it with pride." Deftly, he affixed the garish sticker declaring "I kick laser butt!" to Kaname's dark suit coat, just below the rose on his lapel.
Kaname made a face, akin to what one might expect if Zero had just placed a leach on him, but he let the hunter do as he wished. "Okay, now can we go?"
Zero chuckled. "Yes, now we can go."
The pair escaped into the blessedly cool night air, strolling quickly and purposefully away from the arcade and down the sidewalk. They got almost a block away before they both made the mistake of glancing at one another. Kaname with his sticker, suit sleeves seriously wrinkled and carrying his ridiculous little disco light and Zero discretely trying to rub the permanent marker message off his palm with his other hand... they both lost it and broke out laughing.
"Let me see, let me see what she wrote," Kaname said, tucking his box under one arm and trying to capture Zero's hand with the other as the hunter attempted to pull it away from him.
"Noo..." Zero swatted at him, laughing and attempting to keep pulling his hands away. Apparently the juvenility of their former companions was somewhat contagious.
"Why, is it embarrassing? Did she write something dirty? Let me see!" Kaname was chuckling so much one might almost have dared to call it giggling, as long as they did so out of his earshot.
Zero twisted his wrist in Kaname's grip, struggling playfully and backing up. "Why, are you jealous?"
"Yes, terribly," Kaname laughed, pursuing Zero backwards and finally trapping him against a wall and prying his hand up.
"Ow, ow, okay!" Zero protested through his laughter as the pureblood twisted his wrist around. He let Kaname have his way, now laughing so hard he could barely breathe. He didn't really know what was so funny... it was just that everything was somehow. "It's just her name, geez!"
Kaname grinned as he read the name above the phone number. "Aw, look at that, she dotted the 'i' with a heart. I think she wants to do you."
Zero laughed even harder, the improbability of Kaname talking like that stealing more of his breath away and forcing him to lean against the wall, almost in danger of sliding down it. "W-what? Oh no, you're the one she was hanging all over; she was only interested in me for my fame," he retorted.
Kaname leaned in and kissed Zero teasingly but possessively. "Mm, well, never get so famous that you forget about me, huh?" he murmured, still chuckling.
Zero smiled back, the fingers of one hand curling lightly into Kaname's hair as he briefly returned the kiss. "That's my line," he murmured, a soft earnestness underlining the jest with a note of seriousness.
Kaname's eyes softened and he kissed Zero a little more tenderly. "Never," he promised softly, whispering against his lover's wonderful, intoxicating lips. "Totally impossible."
They separated a moment later and Zero straightened up. The night was quite cool now and his thin dress shirt was damp with perspiration, giving him a bit of a chill. He untied the arms of his suit coat from about his waist.
"Well, it looks like I already have our next date paid for," the hunter teased, remembering the coupons he'd won. "You said Hungry Burger was fine, right?"
Kaname laughed, working the earplugs out of his ears and discarding them in a nearby trashcan. "I don't know. How big was that coupon, you think we can afford it?"
Zero smirked. "Dunno, but we could always see if they take tokens..." he rattled his pocket which still had a few coins jangling around in it. "So, you have plans for your prize?"
Zero turned away a little as he shook the wrinkles out of his suit coat in order to discretely check on his orchid. Shoot... as he'd feared, he'd squashed the delicate blossom pretty good. Fortunately... he could fix that. He touched the petals lightly with his finger tips, coaxing the flower to regenerate. He'd found that he had that ability over plants, even ones he hadn't created. They responded to him. He could heal them or bring forth new growth. It was kind of cool, even if it seemed a trifle sissy and he wasn't about to add "flower fixer" to his resume any time soon. Pretty useful at the moment though.
Satisfied that his orchid was once more as lovely as it had been when Kaname gave it to him, Zero shrugged into his suit coat, attempting to smooth the wrinkles without much success. He and Kaname were both going to have to get their suits cleaned and pressed after tonight. But it had been oh so worth it.
Kaname considered the cardboard box holding his mini multi-colored disco ball with a wry smile. "Oh, I don't know, I thought I might use it as a center-piece on one of the office conference tables. Turn it on during meetings, just to see if anybody even says anything..." he joked sarcastically.
"You could tell them to get up and dance on the table and they wouldn't say anything..." Zero retorted wryly.
Kaname gave a small shudder. "Yes, but despite what you might think I don't actually like to invite traumatic experiences. A sight like that would give me nightmares..."
Zero cracked up again and rubbed his side ruefully, it ached from laughing so much. He hadn't had this much fun in... well... in he couldn't remember how long, actually. Kaname's smile seemed to say that the same was true for him.
They started walking on again. Kaname slipped his free hand into his jacket pocket... and froze in his tracks. Quickly, the pureblood searched his other pocket. Then his pants pockets... ice formed in his stomach.
Zero realized something was wrong and turned back towards him with a concerned look. "What's the matter?"
Kaname looked up with an expression of alarm and loss that surprised the hunter. "It's gone," he murmured in shock, double checking his pockets but already knowing he wouldn't find the small velvet jewelry box that he sought.
Kaname turned on his heel and started striding swiftly and purposefully back the way they had come. "It's got to be at the arcade." He must have lost it there. He'd had it when they left the restaurant, he knew he had. It could easily have fallen from his pocket when they were playing laser tag. He should have been more careful. It had to be there. Unless... it had fallen out of his pocket when Zero had pushed him into the alley... or any other number of times the two of them had messed around during their walk...
Well, damn. If it wasn't at the arcade, he was going to have to call Seiren to come and search their entire path and start questioning people. Anyone could have picked it up, or one of the people in the crowd inside the arcade could even have lifted it from his pocket... but he really didn't think they had, he had been very conscious of every hand laid on his body and he would have felt that.
Still... if it had fallen out and someone had just found it and carried it off... that would be incredibly difficult to track down. Kaname felt sick, unconsciously walking faster and faster. Brilliant, Kuran. Only you could be stupid enough to lose something so priceless and completely irreplaceable. It had been in his family for millennia, and worse... it was to be Zero's and he'd been careless enough to lose it. Unforgivable.
Zero's brows furrowed as he quickly trotted to catch up, realizing that Kaname was quite upset, but not understanding why. "What? What's gone? Your wallet?" Somehow though, Zero didn't think Kaname would have been this distressed over losing something like that, even though with the amount of cash he carried, he should have been. But that wasn't Kaname's style. Despite his fondness for luxury, the pureblood was not very materialistic. Things could always be replaced and Kaname treated them with a casual disregard. Whatever Kaname had lost had to be pretty darn important to him to be garnering such a disturbed reaction.
"No, I..." Kaname faltered, realizing the awkward position he was in. He couldn't very well tell Zero exactly what it was he had lost, that would mess everything up. This was certainly NOT the way he wanted to tell Zero about the necklace. "It's a small burgundy box, about this big. I had it in my suit coat pocket and I think it must have fallen out in the arena," he said instead.
"A box?" Zero inquired, both puzzled and suspicious now. Surely, it wasn't the box Kaname was worried about and he didn't miss the fact that the pureblood was hedging. "What's in the box?"
Kaname remained silent as they neared the arcade once more.
"Is it a gift?" Zero guessed slowly, starting to feel somewhat apprehensive. Small box... like a jewelry box? One that Kaname had taken with him on a date? Kaname, who was an incurable romantic and who had initiated the whole date idea out of the blue in the first place? Oh, crap... Kaname... please tell me you didn't...
"Yes," Kaname murmured, avoiding looking at Zero.
Zero swallowed. Crap, crap, crap... "For me?" he prodded, reluctantly dragging the info out of Kaname piece at a time, twenty-questions style.
Kaname reached the door of the arcade and paused, leaning against the handle and nearly pressing his forehead against the glass as he continued studiously avoiding Zero. He could tell from Zero's tone that the hunter was dreading rather than anticipating his answer. "Yes," he murmured again and the rawness in his whisper speared Zero to the core.
"Kaname..."
Kaname turned to face him swiftly. "It's not a ring or anything like that," he blurted softly, still unable to meet Zero's gaze but practically able to feel what the other was fearing. His normally pale cheeks had flushed painfully, although it was quite an attractive look on him. Could this be any more awkward?! This was not the way this was supposed to happen. "It's just... something. I thought... It doesn't matter. Forget it. Just help me find it and you don't have to worry about it."
Zero felt more relieved than he'd admit. He was totally committed to Kaname, but there were some social conventions and perceptions he wasn't comfortable having to confront or figure out yet and he'd been afraid that Kaname was going to make him do so before he was ready.
The raw vulnerability in Kaname's manner and his urgency to find whatever was in the box moved the hunter deeply. Whatever Kaname had wanted to give him, the pureblood's distress at losing it said he must value it rather highly. How could he not love Kaname for apparently wanting to give him something so precious, no matter what it might be? The hunter felt a gut-deep yearning to make everything okay for his lover and take the worry out of his beautiful eyes.
"Hey," Zero caught Kaname's cheek in his hand and tilted the pureblood's head so he had to look at him. "Of course I'll help you. It's got to be here, Kaname, like you said. I'm sure it just fell out when we were playing. It's okay, we'll find it," he promised. This was obviously important to Kaname. If he had to crawl through the place on hands in knees with a magnifying glass and look in every corner, he'd find it for him.