Upon arrival the travelers were enveloped instantly by servants, and the parents who were left present. Evidently Yori had been convinced by Hanabusa to stay behind and not over exert herself, and of course this was followed by a long bout of arguing that no one dared to approach. Yori was a quiet brooder, but she put forth such a strong aura of discontent that the only one who attempted to engage her was Yuki. In the end, Kaname and Hanabusa took a small group of men to advance upon the kidnappers who had already returned the young woman without their knowledge. It would be at least a day before they would return from the pursuit that never truly started.

Lilith ran forward and embraced Aria with tears in her eyes as the others surrounded her, eyeing her for any physical injuries as Zero and Ace stood off to the side, attempting to avoid the sudden flock of activity. Aria smiled contritely and attempted to stave off their inquiries and insisted that she was unharmed. Zero's eyes never left her, as if he was afraid that she would soon disappear from sight. Upon closer inspection he could see the young girl he had grown to love as a child, but this person in front of him seemed completely different at the same time. The familiar feelings of comradery were completely transformed and he found it incredibly perplexing. His thoughts were interrupted by Ace's quiet yet confident voice and he was immediately set on edge. This man bothered him, not because he had kidnapped Aria (well perhaps a little), but the fact that Ace had jumped between him and Aria as if he was protecting her from HIM. It was a memory that Zero refused to forget and he would hang onto it until the bitter end.

"You two don't seem to get along very well, do you?" Ace inquired casually as Aria quickly glowered in Zero's direction. Yes, they had fought once again just before their arrival at the Aidou estate. He shifted as if he was completely unaffected by her death-glare, irking her even more.

"That's none of…"

"My business, yes I know. She is a gem though, you must admit just in the amount of time you two were 'reacquainting.'" He merely chuckled at the grunt Zero answered with, a customary response he had found.

"Perhaps you should be more concerned about yourself than other people's affairs," said Zero stalely. "Her parents will most definitely tear you to pieces once they find out you were the one who took off with their precious daughter." Zero was interrupted as they were suddenly approached by his own mother, Yuki. Feeling confident that his mother would never let him down or betray him, Zero was immediately shocked to see her leap at the other young man, embracing him in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much for bringing back Aria safely! It was so kind of you to do such a thing!" she said happily. Not only was Zero in complete denial of what he had just witnessed, but also infuriated that none of the acknowledgement had been directed at him, positive that the rescue never would have occurred if he had not shown up. And with this sudden turn of events, everyone accepted the young man's presence with the pureblood princess's approval. Zero felt his jaw go slack as Ace was ushered into the house as servants offered to take his coat, run a bath, show him to a room where he could rest. No, he was perfectly fine, a rest was unnecessary, but he would love to meet the beautiful mother of Aria. Great, not only was he accepted, he was a charmer that would wrap everyone around his finger. Lilith instantly appeared and showed him the greeting area to speak with him about his background and his goals in life, what he wished to accomplish.

Zero was vexed to say the least by this new development. He banked on Hanabusa's reaction to his daughter's kidnapper, but for some odd reason, he also took to the young man. The frustration only grew when Aria played along with this whole ludicrous play as if it was only natural that everyone else accepted the presence of such a delinquent. Yori seemed to be the only one who held back slightly and he felt his affection for the woman grow even more.

Leaning over so only he could hear during their dinner, Yori whispered confidentially into his ear.

"Don't let her get away." Zero looked at her perplexed and then looked up at Aria as she laughed at something Ace had said to her across the table. He glared darkly as he took in their situation. Somehow Ace had maneuvered himself next to the young woman and was taking full advantage of the situation. A momentary flashback of him kicking the young Lord Aidou under the table a child seemed so tempting at that very moment. And Hanabusa strangely took a blind eye to this and Zero was only further embittered by this fact. What could this human offer that he could not?

Hanabusa looked over at the young Kuran pureblood and felt himself stiffen. His gaze followed the young man's to that of his daughter's seat, chatting lightly with Ace, the young soldier who had fought with them years ago. That alone made the young man acceptable in his mind's eye, however, nothing played out better than to know that he was human as well. It wasn't the best, but it was better than the pain he knew would await his daughter should she fall in love with Zero Kuran. As handsome, brave, smart, ambitious, and well-bred as the young man was, he would never be able to overcome the social taboos dictated by their peers. It saddened him greatly, knowing he would rather have his daughter happy and if it were with a human, he of all vampires would understand this.

His grim thoughts were interrupted as Lilith gently prodded him to answer a question directed at him by his father from across the table. These issues would come a later day, for that he was sure.

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Ace sought out employment at the Aidou estate and he was given a position within the supervision of Vaugt, the gentle giant who watched the young man carefully as he took on quickly one task after another with deadly precision. Nodding his head in approval, he took in the fact that Ace had also fought in the war that he too was involved in with the young Lord Aidou. However, he was not completely oblivious to the happenings occurring right under his nose.

One morning Vaugt stopped sweeping the stables long enough to whisper into Ace's distracted ear. Off in the distance, Zero and Aria stood toe to toe once again, arguing about something very trivial. She wished to ride without supervision and Zero refused to allow her out without someone to attend.

"You have no hope," the big man said matter-of-factly. Ace looked at him with a startled expression as he was leaning against the broom that he was using to help with the cleaning. The look on his face innocently inquired what the other could possibly mean. Vaugt jutted his jaw towards the two in the distance.

"Those two have been attached at the hip for a long time. You have no chance there." Ace growled under his breath.

"We will see." Vaugt's shaggy eyebrows rose up in slight surprise by the young man's dedicated tone. Future battles were being built before his eyes and there was little he felt he could do to stop it.

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Guests arrived one after the other, hoping to wish well to the newly accepted noble vampires into their midst. The line trailed around the front courtyard in a dizzying spiral and one by one, they were showed into the elaborately decorated gardens housed in the back of the mansion. Lord Aidou puffed up proudly as he took in the intricate floral arrangements, light fixtures, hand pressed napkins, shining tableware, assortment of food, and live quartet playing pleasantly in the background. He was not entirely sure how Yori had managed to accomplish all of this with it seemed little to no effort, but the final product showed that no one was to be disappointed that night. Even he had to admit that it was all arranged flawlessly.

Aria looked anxiously around through the crowds of people, trying mentally not to show who it was that she was seeking. Her search for the dark pureblood was momentarily interrupted as Lilith's voice carried over the crowd, calling her to greet yet another guest. It was such a tedious job to plaster a fake smile into place and then pray that the evening would be over soon. Once again she kicked herself for allowing her father's innocent smile and loving looks to sway her into agreeing to such despicable situation. She was absolutely impressed with Yori's efforts though as well. She had to hand it to the woman, that when given a task, she completed it to all expectations and beyond. It gave her a twinge of pride knowing her blood came from such a dependable person. Yet she did not allow herself to explore her thoughts towards Yori any further than that, not wanting to deal with the revelation that came crashing down on her during her adventures outside the estate.

Since her return, she had avoided too much contact with Yori, especially alone. No longer did she visit the woman's chambers to seek advice or to vent her frustrations that gathered throughout the day. She simply buried herself even further into her books, barely even hearing her name being called by others. The only time she seemed to show really reactions to anything was when Zero nettled her into one with a quick quip here and a pointed comment there, Aria was flaming and jabbing her finger into his shoulder. Many were anxious by the familiarity between the young woman and her childhood friend. Such companionship would be frowned upon as the event was upon them. Things would be changing soon.

Zero had become a regular inhabitant of the estate as his mother came often to visit and of course it was a given that he would accompany her given there was little else for him to do alone. His father was constantly away attending to the countryside, more now than ever before. It made everyone slightly restless knowing that yet another battle rested potentially on the horizon.

The air seemed to be growing thicker as the gardens began to become packed with guests. It was apparent that upon her introduction that people had lost the initial interest of making her acquaintance and moved on to socialize with those they already knew. This did not bother her at all, in fact, she was thankful for the small respite she had gained by the fewer and fewer crowds gathered around her. Later this evening her grandfather said he wished to speak to her and she had an inkling of an idea of what it was in reference too. Since her return from her temporary kidnapping, she had slowly deduced the fact that somehow the scandal of her current situation was instigated by her grandfather. It made her uneasy, but she was determined to remain as un-judgmental as possible until she received more answers. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Aria snuck off deeper into the less lighted gardens, hoping to lose attention by simply vanishing. With simply a few steps to the right, ducking out into the shadows behind her, quick turn around the bushes and she was home free to advance towards peace and quiet. She took refuge in her usual hiding place, one which no one knew of, with one exception.

Upon entering the small alcove of hanging vines, a green curtain that hid the small haven from prying eyes. To anyone else, it truly looked as though it were a part of the walls surrounding the estate and a perfect place for someone seeking refuge to hide. Aria pulled up short with a gasp upon entering, a hand reflexively clutching her heart, letting out a breathe of irritation, she immediately interrogated the only other who knew of this place.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed loudly, barely above a whisper. He too seemed slightly shocked by her sudden entrance.

"I should ask the same of you. Don't you have guests to attend to?"

"I needed a moment to myself," she said rather bitterly, carrying the burden of knowing that this entire endeavor was a hoax. Truly she knew who her true mother was and only when presented in situations where she was left in Yori's presence alone did she allow herself to remember this.

"I shall leave you then to your thoughts," said Zero as he brushed off his backside, standing straight, barely brushing the overhanging vines in their small childhood hiding place. He stood only a breath's distance from her and Aria pulled back reflexively at first only to suddenly grab hold of his arm.

"Please, don't leave yet," she said reflexively before regretting the request. Zero looked at her with a perplexed look before settling to lean against the wall. The moss gave instantly to his weight as he took in her depressed expression.

"What is bothering you?" Aria looked at him startled before trying to stutter her way through some kind of explanation.

"My grandfather wishes to speak to me tonight and I know that I will not like what he has to say," she finally mumbled. Zero looked at her oddly before sighing to look in the distance not so far away.

"This is why you are so upset?"

"I'm not upset."

"You are. I can tell simply by looking at you." Aria looked self-consciously at her feet before retorting back.

"Since when did you even bother taking that into account?"

"I've always looked." The admonition was honest and blunt, probably without Zero even intending to say anything. Aria looked at him for a long moment before letting out an exasperated sigh, turning her back briefly to him, feigning not to notice his remark. The clatter and tinkering from the distance of people socializing on behalf of her coming out seemed to echo vaguely in the back of her mind. Turning slightly, she hesitantly stepped towards Zero. The familiar feeling of the calm that this place always gave her seemed potent due to the presence of the one who she used to share it with when she was a child. Feeling lost and unable to cope with the ambiguity of the future, she collapsed into his arms without warning.

"What do I do?" she said quietly, burying her face into his coat. Zero was at first completely caught off guard, but feeling her pressed so close forced a switch to go off inside of his mind. His arms grew a life of their own as they came up and embraced her completely.

"I don't know, but I do know that this feels right," he said with a lowered voice, not even aware of what had caused her sudden desperate need to be held. Aria pulled away and looked at him with a confused look, showing that she requested an explanation, obviously so not gone in her thoughts to have missed the intensity of his words. Zero's eyes roamed her face before answering reflexively. "The Aria before did not make me think strange thoughts," he said huskily. His hand reached up to caress a golden curl. "She did not make me want to do strange things," he said further as he pulled her tighter into his arms. "I don't know what to do anymore either." Gently his lips met hers, carefully and with as much caution as his mind would allow in such a state before plummeting in like one who had given into everything. Slowly his lips slanted across her own before wrapping his arms fully around her body, pulling her waist tightly against his own. It was true that he was much taller than her, despite the small age difference. Whatever differences and un-crossable boundaries were wiped from Aria's mind as Zero took advantage of her inability to react.

Aria was shocked to hear a low moan rumble deep from with inside of her as his tongue extended and explored her lips and the small crossroads of where her lips met. Her head rolled back as the kiss wandered its way from her lips to her jaw and then to her neck. His hands were everywhere and everywhere she felt a fire ignite.

"W…what are you doing to me?" she managed to gasp out, barely able to collect her wits about her.

"Everything that I did not know I wanted to do since the moment I saw you," he conceded as he continued to lap just below her ear. It sent a delicious shiver down her spine as she became erotically fascinated with the reactions he was pulling from her.

"This…" she started.

"Is perfect," he finished for her as he let his hands glide over her lower back and returning his lips to hers to plunder her mouth. She groaned, but was instantly interrupted as feminine voices seemed to seep through the vines. Someone was standing just steps from where they embraced. Aria tried to pull away, but Zero was so concentrated on his current task that he refused to release her. Despite the intrusion he continued to allow his hands to explore and Aria felt her body responding.

"Zero…" she groaned through grit teeth before lifting her fist to stuff against her teeth, keeping her from making any further sounds that would bring attention to them. He responded by slipping his hands under her buttocks and hoisting her closer against his frame, taking full advantage of her prone figure. His tongue was working magic that held her rapt and at attention. The voices, completely unaware of the two entwined only a short distance away, faded as Zero renewed his efforts.

"Zero, what are you doing?" Aria said desperately as her head fell back resting against the mossy stone wall.

"Making you relaxed," he said gruffly.

"This isn't relaxed it's… ah…" She was cut off as his tongue circled slowly on her neck. Her hands responded reflexively, grabbing hold of his shirt, pulling it tight across his back. Not wanting to break their contact, Zero pulled her up against the wall and proceeded to circle his tongue tantalizingly at the junction of her neck and shoulder. Slowly, his left hand rose up to meet her breast where she let out a gasp.

It was in this moment that her name was called loudly from the dance floor, requesting her presence. Zero pulled back slowly, regretfully, looking at her dazed and flushed face. Zero's lips quirked up as he took this all in before bracing his hands against the wall on either side of her.

"You should go to them. They are calling you." Aria looked dazed for a moment before seeming to visibly try to shake from the haze that had suddenly encompassed her, pulling away with an incredible speed. His head hung low as he heard her retreat quickly towards the others, resisting the urge to pull her back and keep her greedily for himself.

Not knowing what had happened, Zero realized how out of control things had become for him. Heaving and pulling himself together mentally, stretched his head back, his mouth hanging open, gulping in air, trying to cool the fire in his lungs and body.

"What in the gods' names is going on?" he mumbled.