Disclaimer: I do not own VK, which is really OK, because I really don't like the direction it is taking right now. . Stupid filler chapters.

Interlude

"My otootosan (1) was always such a biased, irrational fool," Nagano Tatsuo sighed, scraping at the sidewalk with the toe of his boot. "Always so violent and trigger-happy. We all knew it would end like this. He always talked about killing vampires no matter their status. He didn't care about violating God-given rights."

Yagari Toga stuffed a cigarette in his mouth and struck up his small red lighter. They sat on a low wall by the street outside the small Osaka hospital, waiting. Yagari took the cigarette between his fingers and blew the smoke into the wind.

"Ironic, isn't it?" he said casually. "The daughter of the most powerful vampire family is in there having the baby of the most powerful hunters' son." He smirked. "So how many vampire doctors work here?"

"There are three medical teams made up of vampires. Shimane Mikio arranged to have them all available to the Cross family. I don't know what kind of crazy-ass excuses they're giving those silly nurses. IV meds laced with heavy amounts of blood? Seriously."

"And you aren't mad at her for killing him?"

"Not really. They say you're supposed to love your family members unconditionally, but from the moment he murdered an innocent pureblood child twenty years ago I've hated him. Kuran-sama did what she did in self-defense. I would have done the exact same thing."

Nagano sighed. "From what you've told me, they're lucky to have survived."

"Yuuki mentioned something about orbis diviniti on the way over, when one of the EMTs asked if she'd taken blood."

"Orbis diviniti?" (2)

"You've heard of it. It's when two vampires drink each other's blood heavily enough and long enough that it creates a sort of unified life flow between the two of them, a merging of their bloodstreams. It's common—almost every vampire couple does it as a sexual practice—but I think this would be the first time I've heard of it saving lives, if that is indeed why they're still here. But it would make sense—it would have kept their life from wasting away."

"Zero was always so sweet when he was little," Yagari sighed. "I met him when he was only three years old. Beautiful little boys—absolutely identical. Their parents had already taught them bowing and thanking. Over the years Zero grew into a kind young man, the type of person who was sensitive to everyone's emotions and couldn't possibly harm even the smallest being. Then he saw vampires, and it slowly began to change him." Long drag. Ash fell lightly at Yagari's feet. "He was so scared and confused after I killed his sensei. I never went easy on him—he had to toughen up if he was ever going to be a successful vampire hunter. Then his family died, and…he became a completely different person."

"People often change after trauma like that," Nagano supplied.

"Yes, and oftentimes they never come back…which is why I was surprised when I found out about his relationship with Yuuki. It seems recently his tender side has begun to reemerge."

Nagano laughed. "Nothing like a beautiful girl to heal a man's broken heart."

Yagari stubbed out his cigarette on the wall and they waited, staring listlessly at the passing cars.

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(1) Otootosan means younger brother. I used it here because it sounded better than directly specifying his age in relationship to Nagano Tatsuo.

(2) Latina regit! See if you can decipher these Latin words.