Unexpectedly Close To The Edge
Set 3 years after Vampire Knight Guilty, however, certain enemies aren't as dead as they were thought to be.
~{}~ signifies a change in time or perspective
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, these awesome characters do not belong to me in any way. They belong to Matsuri Hino. I just stole them and put them to use for my own sick mind ;)
Summary: Yuki's death brings the two former enemies Zero and Kaname closer than they ever expected to be. As the two of them - both broken in their own way - struggle to pick up a life again, will they cope by putting each other together again?
Rated M: mature emotions, rape, violence, M/M lemon (seriously, rated M for good reason!)
Chapter 8: A Useless Struggle
Kaname lay awake in his bed, unable to fall asleep again. The comfortable bed, the pleasant dark interior of his room – none of it helped. His dream refused to be put off easily. Usually, he was good at controlling himself. He had to be. It was vital to his public reputation that he always appeared to be in control, no matter if he was or not. Kaname relished it - not the demands society set for his bearings, of course - but after the sudden and intense loss of his carefully attained control due to Yuuki's passing, he was able to really appreciate its return.
He would never admit to others how difficult that could be. Though technically, purebloods could do as they pleased, politics made things very complicated. Expectation was that purebloods were perfect – the pinnacle of creation. With his policy of co-existence between humans and vampires, Kaname was already walking a fine line. While he had been at Cross Academy, political enemies had only smiled and waved off his ideas as childish whims.
Now, they were becoming aware that their arrogance would cost them. Kaname's influence was growing. And what they had belittled as a child's play was now widely acknowledged as an option to their old ways. Yet, it all depended on his public appearances. Every word he spoke could be used to bring all of his efforts down. Though political choices rarely lead to the killing of powerful vampires nowadays, the cause would be lost and much of his reputation as well.
He had to be alert at all times. He was born to carry such a weight and trained to bear it with dignity, but there were moments that he wished he didn't have to; moments in which he could just ignore all of them. It was tiresome but necessary – he had to be in control of his public life at all times.
As a pureblood, all of his emotions were intense and all sensations were crystal clear to him, even in his dreams. However, what might usually help him when he needed to be alert in real life, proved to be terribly inconvenient and disorienting when he woke from an intense dream. The source of both his control and lack of it momentarily appeared to be one and the same.
Zero.
A wry grimace crossed Kaname's features. It had taken a while for him to regain his composure and even so, images of intense lilac eyes refused to abandon his thoughts. It was a good thing that the hunter was asleep – his hold on those thoughts had been rather feeble, to put it mildly. But his guilty conscious had doused all physical signs of arousal that remained from his dream. Yuki was the only one he had wanted to dream about in such a way. She had been everything he had desired. Ever. Or so he thought.
But his body was suggesting otherwise. He resigned himself to a quiet sigh.
"Yuki…" he whispered her name into the empty room.
She wasn't coming back. But she had left him with many memories. He was able to sort through them only now that he was sane again. There were so many happy ones about her and Kaname, it made the pureblood want to lose himself in them. A pureblood's memory was usually close to perfect; all details remained in lifelike quality. It was so easy, so tempting to get lost in those recollections. But Kaname knew that it would not help. He might drown entirely in the past while his body shut down, going into a long sleep that could last for days, weeks or an indefinite amount of years. But when he woke – if he woke – he would be faced with reality again; a reality without her.
It happened. Some of the purebloods that were presently known to be asleep had been sleeping for longer than many vampire lives lasted. Losing loved ones due to wars, revenge or another love – such was always the reason for prolonged sleep. A wife, a child, a husband, a lover… Sometimes, it was the only way to remain sane for someone with a potentially eternal life span. To wake up to an age that was less cruel, with the memories of those lost loved ones relived so often that the mind longed for new ones to occupy it.
Kaname shuddered. He didn't want his thoughts to stray in that direction. Dark images arose in Kaname's mind reminding him of things buried deep inside; darkness of long forgotten ages. Diseases, wars and treachery… His head started pounding with a terrible headache.
No!
Angrily, he clenched his teeth. He didn't want those memories. He didn't want to be what they told him he was… He was an ordinary pureblood. He was Kaname Kuran, Yuki's brother. No one else.
Yuki's brother.
Kaname… Kuran.
He calmed his mind by returning to the memories he loved; he pictured Yuki happily dancing through the room as he told her they would go on holiday together. What a wonderful day that had been. No, he wouldn't give into his urge to sleep. Though he longed to touch her cheek, to softly nuzzle her hair, both his and her collection of memories would not let him rest.
He was sure of it. The task he felt she had left him with would not let his mind settle. He wanted to live up to her expectation, even though he was nowhere near as flawless as she had liked to think. He would continue making co-existence possible. He would protect the one she loved as best he could. No, there would be no sleep for him. Yuki had so many images of Zero burned into her mind. They would never let him sleep. Most of them were human memories, vague and incomplete. But the details her childlike mind had chosen to hang onto made Kaname wince.
His eyes – it was always his eyes. And in her recollection they had almost always been either angry or filled with pain. At best they had showed annoyance. At their worst they had been empty and hopeless. It was an emptiness her good nature couldn't bear to see. She had watched the hunter over the years as his hurt only deepened, fading behind the ever-present anger and hatred until you had to know it was there to see it.
Even in his younger, less troubled days, Kaname had felt pity for the creature with the hopeless, angry lilac eyes that had attacked him with a knife out of desperation. Not to do damage – but to provide an excuse to be killed. But his mind had always been bent on her; ensuring her safety and happiness. To his annoyance at that time, it had made her unhappy to see Zero suffer. The pureblood stared at the ceiling of his dark room without seeing it as he went through Yuki's memories in all detail.
She had always tried to get through to him and at one point she had begun to doubt that she would ever reach him. But Kaname could see – even through her memory – how wrong she had been. No one had gotten as close to him as her.
Kaname smiled bitterly. There was no way that he – a pureblood – had a chance to break through that fortress if she had already almost given up. He knew he shouldn't care. Zero's silence in their bond showed clearly that he wished to keep his thoughts to himself. And Kaname wanted to respect that. But they shared a bond. Though it was one of guilt and resignation, it was still a bond. And who knew how long they'd be stuck with each other.
Could they go on ignoring each other? The dream he'd had showed clearly that the hunter was affecting him more than he'd like. They couldn't go on hating each other, not for the rest of what time they had. It wouldn't be eternity, perhaps. Zero was turned by Shizuka, not himself. But still…
Kaname shuddered to think about it. At one point the hunter would be in danger of falling. He would kill Zero himself on that day. And he would make sure that he did not survive that day himself.
Zero was asleep and their bond was silent. Kaname's morbid thinking wasn't exactly perfect company. It was afternoon – way too early to be up for a vampire. But Kaname couldn't sleep again. He wasn't even so sure he wanted to. The dream with the hunter… why…? He had never bothered with thinking of anyone else but Yuki – he thought they had eternity. And never before had he doubted his sexuality.
There's no way I want him. It's just my body's desperation…
The loss of her.
The new bond.
That's it.
He shook his head. There were other things to worry about. She wouldn't want him to fail in protecting someone who'd meant so much to her. Ironic, how - now that Rido had showed up again - he needed a shield to protect Zero, formerly her shield.
Another bitter smile crossed his face. He was prepared to sacrifice his best friend for the sake of his enemy's generosity to protect what his deceased love cherished most. But here he was lying to himself, wasn't he? Though it sounded so very selfless, it ultimately was an entirely selfish endeavor. Kaname held onto Zero. For some reason, he hoped that Zero could redeem him. Even if the hunter never really cared for him, even if it was a hopeless cause, Kaname somehow still garnered hopes that if he protected the hunter to the best of his ability, he might have a reason to exist that was worthy of her.
Suddenly, images ran through his head, shocking him out of his reverie.
A shot rang out echoing across empty stones halls, blood splattered across silver hair and small bell fell to the floor, its innocent chime triggering emotional pain without redemption. A set of angry lilac eyes… and so much blood. It was everywhere… And terrible thirst… Emotions crashed into the pureblood. With trouble he refused to react to the terrible onslaught that made his chest clench in agony. Anger, fear, hurt, despair. A scream echoed in his mind.
Kaname shuddered. Zero had obviously woken up from a nightmare. And what a nightmare that must have been… From the glimpses he had caught, Kaname was sure that he would have difficulty as well at keeping such things controlled in his mind without leaking it to their bond.
Slowly the images receded and then everything went quiet in his mind – Zero had his control back again. He was probably fully awake now. Feeling a small wave of empathy for the hunter, the pureblood got up and took his cold shower.
Seems like I am not the only one with a mind at unrest refusing me the luxury of peaceful slumber. What a thing to have in common.
~{}~
Zero cursed quietly and rubbed his eyes as he sat up. His brother kept following him into his dreams. So did the blood and the guilt. There was nothing he could do about it. Not only did the dreams leave him reeling, but his own reaction to them was mortifying.
There was no way he could deny that the vampire inside himself was becoming more prominent – most likely due to the large quantities of pure blood he had consumed. The blood and gore that had chilled him with fear as a child was now both a horrible sight and a terrible lure. Even in his dreams. His human side was disgusted by himself. What made things worse, was the knowledge that he wouldn't fall.
Kuran would never allow him to die as a mindless Level E. He was doomed to slowly turn into a self-aware abomination without humanity – but instead of having the certainty that he would be killed before he became a threat, he now had the certainty that he would be protected, even as a monster. Would the pureblood put him in a cage when he lost every shred of sanity? Feed him through bars, just so he could live on himself? The thought was unbearable… Zero dug his fingers into his hair and shook his head.
He showered, grabbed his weapons and left Kuran mansion in a hurry. He had no mind to have breakfast there and even though their bond tore at his insides with the necessity to be close to Kuran, the urge to leave was much, much greater. He needed to breathe. He needed air. Zero knew perfectly well that he was running away from himself. But right now he didn't care. The dream kept going through his mind, haunting him with everything he loathed about himself.
In that dream, things had been twisted and reversed. Instead of being shot by his brother, he had shot Ichiru to get to his twin's blood. He had been so thirsty… so terribly in need for blood. Zero shook his head to clear his mind. He didn't want to remember. It was different and yet too close to how it had really been. But it was so clear. The scream… the blood. With great effort, Zero managed to calm his confused mind. He had no idea how much of his thoughts he had leaked to Kuran; he hated that the pureblood had most likely seen what haunted him. But with Ichiru's scream resounding in his mind over and over again it was too difficult to keep out of their bond.
Dammit – Ichiru had shot him and then handed himself to the hungry vampire he made out of Zero. The hunter knew it. His rational mind knew it wasn't his fault. But his heart was different. He still believed he should have been able to stop, he should have been able to let his twin live. In a desolate mood, the hunter trudged on.
He was up way too early anyway, so he walked the entire way to the hunter's association. The sun was still up – it was only about four in the afternoon. It was still late spring so the brightness wasn't too strong, but it was hot nonetheless. Zero turned up the high collar of his coat. His skin was a little sensitive to the sun, but not like with other vampires. So he kept to the shade wherever he could as he walked for about one and a half hours. He would still be there too early. It wasn't a prospect he enjoyed. There was little love for him at the Association, but it wasn't full of vampires and the library was sure to have something of interest so at least his mind would have time to relax.
~{}~
By the time Kaname had finished showering, Zero had already gone. He could tell by the ache in his chest. The hunter must have left in a hurry, Kaname thought. He ignored the ache in his chest and dressed. Today he would take Takuma with him and make sure everyone understood he was his new mate without actually saying it. If he never voiced it aloud, no one would be able to charge him for lying. However, the suspicions about who his mate was would finally be over.
Reading about the recent activities in business on his tablet pc, he sipped his morning coffee. Though he preferred a Japanese style breakfast, he usually had coffee in the morning. Today, however, he had little appetite. In the hour he spent at the table, he managed no more than a bit of rice and a little soup. After about half an hour, Takuma joined him.
The blond noble's quiet cheerfulness was usually very pleasant to the pureblood. Though Kaname was never the talkative type, he would generally humor Yuki and Takuma's breakfast conversations with occasional comments on the food, the weather or stock reports. To avoid feeling her loss as badly, Kaname had moved his breakfast to a different room. He tried his best not to let on how much he missed her. Instead, he got up to date on his business reports that had not been worked through in the past weeks.
Takuma spoke very little, but that didn't bother the pureblood. For some reason, he had hoped that the hunter would join them, but most likely that was not going to happen any time soon. Perhaps he should invite the other nobles over for a while so Takuma could talk to someone in the morning. The prospect of Aido's company in the morning made the pureblood smile in amusement.
Observing the noble unobtrusively, he noticed that Takuma seemed more alert than usual. Most likely due to the pure blood, the noble was obviously experiencing heightened sensory perception. Kaname smiled to himself. The noble was savoring each bite of food and almost jumped at every small sound that came from the staff working in the kitchen. It was almost amusing to watch.
Kaname's happiness might have lingered a bit longer, if he hadn't reminded himself of the price his noble friend was paying, even without knowing it. With an inward sigh, he waited for Takuma to finish before switching off his tablet. Complementing the maid for the food, he got up to leave for work with Takuma following behind.
~{}~
Ayame tried hard to keep her senses alert as their team descended into yet another dark and slimy tunnel. They had only run into a few Level E's up until now, but for some reason those had all stayed on the ceilings. She wasn't the perfect hunter, but Ayame was perceptive enough to notice that much.
Her resolve to prove herself had yet to crumble and she did her best as she traced Ito's sure steps. They were forced to walk in single file, with Ito following Kiryu, her following the spell caster and Naoto bringing up the rear. Their team had entered from a new entrance this time and though the tunnels looked no different from the ones yesterday it all seemed to be much more strenuous today. Perhaps it was only her nerves.
So far nothing highly significant had happened. They had killed eleven Level E's. Well, Kiryu had done most of the work there – but none of them had made mistakes, yet. Yesterday had shown them that this was not a joyride. They had good reason to be alert in these tunnels, but they were just as careful as yesterday – if not more so. However, the unease that crept up her spine was unnerving and she was sure that it hadn't been there last night.
Kiryu seemed exactly the same as the night before: silently plowing through the darkness, firing with perfect aim and leaving only dust behind. The silver-haired hunter was wearing a dark coat over his white long-sleeved shirt today. It made it a bit harder to follow in the darkness. But that's what flashlights were for…
Today, Ayame felt better prepared for the mission. She and Naoto had met early beforehand to talk through a few things in private. They shared nearly everything. Early on in their training, it had become apparent that knowing about how your team mate felt could be crucial to a mission. So Ayame and Naoto talked about their worries and injuries, even though it felt foolish sometimes. If one of them felt a little under the weather, it was good for the other to know. Today, they were both a bit nervous, seeing as how they felt they had failed yesterday. She and Naoto agreed on wanting to improve.
"Four ahead." Kiryu announced quietly. Ayame wondered at his clear perception. She could tell there were vampires ahead, but perhaps she lacked the experience to be precise on their number. Or maybe Kiryu wasn't solely relying on his hunter senses. She had begun cataloguing the amount of vampire presence with the number he announced, hoping that somehow she would be able to tell their number in advance as well.
They moved forward slowly. Then Kiryu jumped into motion and shot toward the ceiling three times and Ito's gun rang out once. He hadn't shot well enough to kill and the miserable vampire fell to the ground snarling. But as it hit the ground, it screamed a deafening screech before turning into dust.
During their encounters, it puzzled Ayame more and more that the Level E's all kept to the ceiling and were in obvious pain when they hit the floor. So when they stopped for a short break, she decided to ask Kiryu about it.
Seemingly casual, the silver haired hunter leaned against a wall while Ito and Naoto shared a bottle of water. Nakamura watched him closely – his tattoo was faintly glowing under his dark coat. His mood or state of fatigue was impossible to tell. He looked the same as yesterday. Even so, she had a faint suspicion about the Level E's but she wanted to hear his explanation anyway.
"Hunters have been here before." He said calmly. "The floors of many tunnels are littered with hunter charms. Some have faded, others are fresher. Many charms in these tunnel floors kill or immobilize Level E's. That's why they take to the ceilings and walls. We should move on now."
Anti-vampire charms… That made sense, but didn't Kiryu feel them as well?
They continued through the tunnels. "Three ahead."
When they reached an opening, Kiryu's gun was already firing. Ito sent a charm toward a wall and a vampire fell to the ground. When it hit the bottom, the screech was so loud that it hurt her ears. Then it turned to dust.
Ayame's curiosity was uncontainable now. So she finally asked "So you don't feel the charms like they do, Kiryu-san?"
Kiryu stopped but didn't turn to face her. An eerie silence settled in the tunnels now that the echoes had subsided. Ayame wondered if she had crossed a line with her question and almost thought he wouldn't answer at all. But finally, he did. His voice was calm and emotionless as he spoke.
"I feel the same pain they do. When walking across a charm all vampire aspects of my body are weakened. I haven't yet fallen to Level E, so I won't be killed by them unless I am significantly wounded. The hunter blood in my veins and the branding on my neck allow me to pass through them."
He turned to look at them. In an emotionless voice he continued. "Should I become a burden to you or our mission, I will inform you in advance so you may continue without me. Does that answer your question?"
Ayame stared at him, but Kiryu just nodded, taking her silence as a yes, turned and walked deeper into the maze of tunnels. That answer had been entirely clear… he expected them to abandon him when he was wounded…? Was that pride or dedication? What the hell did you answer to that? The female hunter wasn't sure she'd have the strength to sacrifice herself that way. The three of them just looked at each other. Then they continued following him.
~{}~
Takuma looked up from his office desk to glance at the pureblood. Kaname was reading a report or something on the screen of his computer, going through another thirty pages of numbers. Completely composed as usual, he had been doing that for hours. The pureblood showed no sign of mourning Yuki or missing Zero.
Takuma had heard that it created pain to be parted from your mate. If so, then Kaname showed none of it. Imagining him through stranger's eyes Takuma saw Kaname as the forbidding, all-powerful figure that everyone revered. It warmed Takuma's heart to know that he was one of the very few who knew better; who had had a few glimpses of what Kaname struggled with. And it only made him admire the pureblood even more.
When they had arrived in the morning, Kaname had already given the order to move Takuma's desk into his office. Kaname and Takuma usually entered the building together. After all, Takuma was Kaname's vice president. But today everything had been different. Public display of affection was not needed in any way. Kaname had radiated intense possessiveness when they entered. It was amazing. After not more than a few minutes, it was entirely clear to anybody who had seen them that Takuma belonged to Kaname. Without a word from either Kaname or Takuma, the news had spread like wildfire that the blond noble was Kaname's new mate.
Takuma had always been treated with respect – he was a powerful noble and had always been Kaname's close associate. He had hardly ever seen the need to enforce his authority. However, his joyful nature made him a very approachable person. But now things had changed immediately.
He was treated with the same respect that Kaname would receive. At first it had surprised him. Then he had felt flattered. At the end of the day, he felt uncomfortable about it. He in no way resembled Kaname or his authority and he wasn't even truly his mate. Not only did he not deserve this attention but he also considered it strangely hypocritical. The same people who had usually called him Takuma now addressed him as Takuma-sama or Ichijou-sama. It wasn't even funny. They were all serious about it.
It made Takuma wonder how Kaname felt every day. And he immediately understood why he wanted Takuma to use only his first name. His new status among the colleagues at work made him see the pureblood in an entirely new light. How much more difficult it was to know who to trust and how lonely it must be for him at times…
Suddenly, Kaname looked up – a startled expression on his face. And something else… pain…? It was only there for a fraction of a second, but Takuma was certain he had seen it. He would never comment on it, but it puzzled him for a while until the answer became clear. Of course… he thought: something must have happened to Zero. Hopefully, it was nothing serious.
But when he looked at the pureblood again, Kaname appeared to be reading just like he had before.
~{}~
"Sorry."
Ayame had accidently run right into Kiryu. Ito was guarding the rear with Noato. She quietly cursed herself for her bad perceptiveness. But she couldn't help herself. Her mind was occupied with the words Kiryu had said. His frankness had surprised her somewhat and his dedication had her wondering about herself. Would she be able to sacrifice that much?
The silver-haired hunter didn't answer her apology. Neither had she expected him to. But she realized his body was tense. She could tell - she had just run into it. She couldn't detect any vampires except him in the proximity.
"Kiryu-san?" she asked tentatively.
She thought she saw a wry smile on his face. His silver hair moved slightly as he shook his head. 'Of course…' he whispered cryptically.
Then a gust of wind rushed past her. Kiryu was gone. She hadn't known he could move that fast. Her eyes focused quickly enough to see his gun point into her direction. As Kiryu collided with a dark figure in obscuring robes, the Bloody Rose's bullet whooshed by her head and hit something behind her. Finally, her senses screamed 'vampire' at her. She heard a groan and a thump. Then her instinct took over and she turned to face the robed opponent behind her. Kiryu's shot had wounded it, but somehow failed to kill and the figure staggered toward her.
Without even looking at the face, she buried her katana in the vampire, tearing the chest in two. It took a few seconds for it to turn to dust. Before she had the time to even look up, something slammed into her side. A sharp pain ran through her as something slashed into her shoulder. But before it had gone too deep, dust rained down onto her and one of Kiryu's knives clattered to the floor. He had obviously disposed of his own opponent as well.
Naoto and Ito were busy with another robed figure. Naoto's katana slashed across its chest as Ito stunned it into place with a charm. Slowly it went limp. But only after another one of Kiryu's knives hit it, did it turn to dust.
There was a moment of quiet.
"Of course", it hit Ayame as she unknowingly echoed Kiryu's words. These were not Level E's. Their agility was too great and they didn't shun the floor like the others had. They also appeared to be a lot harder to kill. Crap!
Suddenly, a gun shot rang out. Ito had fired a shot at another shady figure that Kiryu had knocked backward. But the bullet missed. The shady figure flashed past Kiryu and turned to attack Naoto. The dark-haired hunter had his attention on a different opponent. To Naoto's right, Ito was slammed into the wall by a vampire and slumped to the floor. With the same force, Naoto also felt his katana being knocked out of his hand. Aiding Ito and Naoto, Ayame slashed across the figure as it pounced on her team mate when suddenly, Kiryu appeared right between her and Noato.
Only a fraction of a second later, a dark robe rustled from the left to slam a clawed hand through Naoto. In terrifying slow motion, Ayame watched it go into Kiryu's lower rib cage instead. Only as both vampires left and right of Naoto slowly disintegrated to ashes, did their vanishing bodies reveal the knives Kiryu had buried into each of their bodies. She stared in incomprehension at the way purple lightning danced across Kiryu's hands as he held them.
Then he slid them back into their sheaths into his sleeve. Before she could look up in question, she heard Ito groan as he slowly scrambled to his feet.
"Ito are you hurt?" Kiryu's voice sounded concerned. Ayame shook her head at the surreal situation. Kiryu was the one bleeding a fountain from his torso.
Ito shook his head. "Just a headache." With difficulty he leaned against the wall. He winced as he tried to hold his head with his hand. "Well, maybe a broken rib." He grimaced.
"Nothing else?" Kiryu seemed unconvinced.
Ito sighed. "Alright. My shoulder arm is dislocated as well."
Kiryu nodded.
~{}~
"Kiryu-san…" Yamada interjected. Zero knew perfectly well what he was going to say.
"Do you have bandages?" he interrupted him. Though his side hurt like hell, he knew that it wasn't as bad as it looked. The claws had gone through his lower rib cage. Parts of his liver and lung were sure to be damaged. It looked ugly and made it difficult to breathe, but it wasn't life threatening. Not for a vampire. Concentrating on his teammates, he ignored the pain as best he could. Stoically, he did his best to keep any sign of blood lust from his eyes.
Yamada nodded quickly. Without further questions, he began rummaging in his backpack and produced rolls of white gauze. Zero hadn't missed how the hunter refused to look him in the eye.
Zero shook his head as the hunter offered him the bandages. "Not for me…" he nodded toward Nakamura. "For her."
The female hunter looked up, startled. She had obviously already forgotten about her shoulder. Kiryu was only too aware of the blood trickling down her arm. Its smell had hit his senses the instant it was drawn. But luckily, Kuran's blood had sated him enough so he was able to ignore it during the fight. Now, it was more difficult not to react to it. Only years of practice and his stubbornness made it possible.
Zero saw the surprise in Nakamura's startled look as their eyes met, but he pushed the thought aside. Ito was in bad shape. While Yamada cleaned Nakamura's wound, Zero slowly walked over toward the spell-caster. Ito looked up, but there was no fear there. On the one hand, it relieved Zero slightly, that his team didn't consider him a threat. On the other hand, he wasn't sure that it was a good idea for them to trust him – especially when he was wounded.
"We cannot continue." Zero said, pulling the smaller man up. Ito nodded. He was holding his shoulder grimacing in pain, his arm dangling uselessly at his side. The small hunter looked pale and he was still letting the slimy wall carry his weight.
"I can re-locate your shoulder, but it will hurt." Zero offered. Ito nodded.
Making sure the spell-caster had no time to tense up, Zero quickly pressed one hand against his shoulder and wrenched the arm back into place with the other hand in one swift movement. It slid in with a pop.
Ito stifled a moan but then exhaled slowly. "Thank you." He rasped.
Zero's fingers moved down both sides of the hunter's chest, counting the ribs, applying slight pressure on them.
"Tell me when it hurts." He said.
Ito hissed in pain. "Ow… there..."
"Two of your ribs are bruised, perhaps cracked. But there's no internal bleeding or damage to your lungs, or you would have coughed up blood already." Zero concluded. "Yamada will carry your backpack."
The spell-caster nodded.
"You shouldn't be trusting me this much." Zero said quietly.
But Ito didn't think so. "I have no reason to distrust a good hunter, Kiryu-san."
Zero shook his head and grimaced. "We need to go." He said collecting his fallen knives. The special charms he had cast on them shocked his hands each time he touched them. Wounded, he felt the impact tenfold more. But that was also the reason they were so much more effective than his bullets against the higher class vampires. He had gotten used to feeling the electric shock every time he touched them.
"If more vampires come, we're in no shape to fight them." On solitary missions, Zero had already fought while wounded, but he wasn't alone now. He had to make decisions for the entire team. Bleeding wounds attracted vampires and made them more aggressive. And Ito wasn't in good condition. Neither was Zero himself. He couldn't be sure that he could protect the team if they were attacked again. He disliked the situation entirely.
On his own, he might have just plodded on, finishing the mission despite his injury. But this was no option for his team. Though he had to admit – he wasn't entirely sure he would have survived this fight if he had been on his own. He turned to the other two.
"Kiryu-san, what were they?" Yamada asked.
"Not level E's…I'm sure." Ito growled as he slowly began to move his arm, testing its limits.
"No." Zero said. "They were Level C assassins, one of them a lower noble – most likely they were sent by the Vampire Council. We cannot stay here if there are more to come. We were already outnumbered."
They all nodded.
"We need to find the nearest hunter team and discuss what to do with them. I'll go first, Yamada – you guard the rear. Nakamura, stabilize Ito. Keep close together."
Their progress was slowed by Ito's bruised ribs. The small hunter's labored breath was loud in the echoing tunnels. Ever so often, Ayame steadied the spell-caster who was in a lot of pain. Naoto was guarding the rear and they stayed close together. Ayame and Noato exchanged glances many times, their communication clear even without words. They had survived an attack of Level C assassins… She would have said it was a miracle they had survived. But, of course, it wasn't. Kiryu was too good. Without him, she was sure they would have died without even noticing their killer's presence. By the looks Naoto was giving her, he agreed as well.
She shook her head. Kiryu was like a machine. If she hadn't seen the wound with her own eyes, seeing the claws going into his body, she would have believed he had nothing but a mere scratch by the way he moved. He hadn't even taken the time to bandage his wounds. His pale long-sleeved shirt was tattered on his left side and it looked to her like half of his ribcage had been torn apart. Blood was still dripping through his shirt and down his entire left side. But the coat concealed most of it.
Ayame had barely dared to look into his eyes. After all this time on their mission with him, she didn't want to see him as anything but a hunter. She didn't want to see any vampire in him. She simply didn't. But startled about the bandages she had looked him in the eyes - they had been lilac. Not a trace of red in them.
~{}~
Aido checked his watch for about the thousandth time as the stewardess announced their latitude, outboard temperature and remaining flight duration. The seat-buckle sign had gone out and people were being served beverages.
The blond noble glared out the window of his first class seat, not even bothering to feign interest in the golden fluffy clouds they were flying over. Damn Takuma for being so clamped up about what had happened. Three weeks ago, Kaname-sama had sent them all on a vacation trip to some remote island. It wasn't like they didn't know that something was really wrong with Yuki-sama – but to have the pureblood send them - his loyal followers - from his side had definitely been hard to digest for both Aido and Ruka.
Rima, Shiki and Kain appeared quite unimpressed with the whole affair which made Aido and Ruka even angrier. Of course they were worried, but after a few days, the three of them had taken a few trips around the island in an attempt to get away from the other two brooding nobles. Aido hadn't cared either way. As far as he was concerned, they were all traitors. How could anyone enjoy the beach under a moonlit sky when your pureblood was going through such hardships?
And now – finally – they had gotten a message from Takuma that things had resolved themselves and they were being asked to take the next flight back to Japan.
What about the details?
Aido had almost thrown a fit in their hotel lobby when he got the message from the porter and found that there was no explanation included whatsoever. The poor man really couldn't be faulted for not knowing a thing, but Kain had had to use force to keep Aido from hurting anyone as he was about to take out the revenge for Takuma on the innocent man. Aido clenched his fist. He swore that he'd strangle the blond vice president when he saw him. Very, very slowly.
But the anger didn't cover his anxiety. Was Yuki-sama ok? Had she recovered? Or… or… was Kaname-sama doomed to… Though Aido didn't want to think about it, not knowing about his pureblood's fate was driving him mad. He wanted to scream, but he forced himself to remain silent.
"Hanabusa…" Kain's low voice chided him. The blond noble glared at his cousin. "Tearing up the inventory of our plane won't get us to Kaname-sama any faster."
Aido bit back an angry retort to his cousin as he stared at his glittering hands. Ice crystals had formed on both of them from the elbow to the fingertips, including a piece of white plastic in his hand that fit suspiciously well into the gaping hole of his tray-table.
~{}~
Zero was painfully aware of Nakamura's wound. He could clearly hear all of his team's pulses behind him. His mind could reach out and almost feel their blood pumping through their veins. But her blood stood out – of course, she had an open wound. A small part inside him kept telling him that if he attacked them, they wouldn't be able to stop him. He almost snorted out loud at the thought. Strangely enough, though he was in need of blood, the scent wasn't as appealing as it could have been.
The thirst was petty now, compared to the need he had felt when falling to Level E, when feeling the icy cold grip of blood lust with his body almost freezing him to the spot before Kuran came to him in that dungeon. This was nothing compared to that. He gripped his gun tightly and nodded inwardly. No need to think about blood. Though his perception wasn't quite as alert as beforehand, he could still sense the hunters of his team just fine. Concentrating, he tried to locate hunter team closest to them.
To Zero's – and Ito's – relief, it took only half an hour to get to the nearest hunter team and no one was harmed on the way. Zero had shot two Level E's that had been attracted by the scent of blood, but otherwise the tunnels had been silent.
They could hear the hunter's footsteps ahead of them as they approached the end of a smaller tunnel. Suddenly, a blade flew in their direction, but Zero had anticipated something like that. The hunters were all strung up – his vampire aura had triggered impulsive attacks more than once, so he wasn't taken off guard. His hand flew up and he clenched his teeth as the charmed blade tore through his skin and embedded itself up to the handle in the palm of his left hand.
"Kiryu-san!" Ito cried out, but of course it was too late. Hunter poison flooded Zero's already weakened body, but he refused to let his knees give way. Spots danced in front of his eyes and pain stung through his veins, spreading into every limb. He could easily have dodged the knife, but he didn't want to risk any of his team getting hurt. The hunter poison wouldn't harm them, but the blade certainly would. He was a vampire and he would heal eventually. Now, however, he was definitely not in fighting shape anymore. Staggering slightly, he pulled the blade out of his hand and steadied himself.
"Which of you morons threw a knife at my student!" they heard Yagari's voice growl furiously.
A rather timid voice began apologizing profusely, but Zero ignored it. He was simply glad to see his sensei. Yagari's team was clearing a smaller chamber, when Zero's team met them from the front.
"Sensei." He inclined his head; he couldn't do much more. Currently, the hunter poison was wreaking havoc on his senses and motoric abilities. The damn blade was one of the same he'd used on the assassins – highly effective against non-Level-E-vampires. Though the charm on it wasn't nearly as potent as his own would have been, it was only due to his hunter heritage that he didn't turn to dust immediately. He could feel his blood battle it fiercely. The pain in his entire body threatened to overwhelm him, but he knew from experience that if he gave in and let his body shut down to heal, he wouldn't move again for two days. And he definitely didn't want that. No way in hell…
"Holy shit, kid. What the hell happened to you?" Yagari's voice wasn't exactly filled with warm welcome, but this was what Zero expected and learned to appreciate. When Yagari spoke, he spoke his mind. Yeah, the bloody mess that Zero certainly looked like wouldn't be lost on the senior hunter.
"Ito has two cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a concussion. Nakamura took a flesh wound to her upper right arm. Yamada is unhurt." The silver-haired hunter stated.
Yagari nodded then turned to glance back at a young hunter who was still explaining how sorry he was. "Stop apologizing uselessly and get some bandages over here…" the senior hunter barked at the young man behind him. Said hunter blushed a dark shade of red and rummaged feverishly in his pack, while Yagari glared at his student.
"You didn't answer my question, kid." Yagari said sternly. "What happened to you?"
"Level C assassins…" Zero answered wryly.
The other hunters gasped, only Yagari's clear eye pierced him and swept one look over Zero's team. Then he slid his rifle into Zero's coat, opening it and revealing his wound.
"Shit…" Yagari looked thoughtful as he assessed his student's condition. There was a sharp intake of breath as the others saw it as well.
"There a hole in your ribcage." He stated. "Care to explain?"
"I wasn't fast enough." Zero answered.
~{}~
What! Nakamura thought she hadn't heard him correctly. How was this Kiryu's fault? Not fast enough? Seriously? That was entirely ridiculous. They were alive because of him. She was about to say something, when she heard Naoto speak.
"Yagari-sensei, Kiryu-san protected us when four Level C assassins and one noble attacked. Their presence was masked until the last second." he said in a clear voice. "He sustained that wound saving my life."
"Is that true?" the one-eyed hunter asked, staring hard at his student. The silver-haired hunter didn't respond but lowered his gaze.
"Well?" Yagari asked impatiently.
"I failed Nakamura and Ito during the fight and they were wounded. When two assassins turned to Yamada I saw no other way…" Kiryu's voice remained steady, though they could all clearly see that his body was fighting.
"Idiot." Yagari growled, but with a bit of fondness in his voice. Everyone seemed relieved. They all knew that Yagari was a tough mentor, but sometimes it was just difficult to watch him acting gruff. Though the hunters didn't always agree with him on his methods, there was certainly a reason why he was as good as he was and as well-respected as he was. That's why the senior hunter was Yagari-sensei to all hunters younger than himself and they were all kids to him.
"Take the coat off, kid." He ordered.
Kiryu complied without a word of protest as he held up his shirt and let his sensei bandage up his torso and hand. Ayame was fascinated by Kiryu's demeanor toward his sensei. There was a lot more there between the gruff words and the piercing gaze than she couldn't decipher in their communication. Well, after all, it was all the things they didn't say that drove other hunters up the wall when they were on a long mission with that particular senior hunter and his student.
"Ito – how are your ribs?" Yagari's gravelly voice asked as he finished bandaging Kiryu's bleeding hand.
"Painful, sensei."
Yagari looked hard at the spell-caster, judging his condition.
"It'll be ok. Kiryu-san said that there were two cracked ribs and there's no damage to the lung." Ito said. The senior hunter raised an eyebrow and then nodded.
"We're returning to headquarters." He announced.
No one dared to question that.
~{}~
Zero stood in his own apartment, enjoying the silence. The sun was beginning to rise and he just stared out of the window, though the brightness slowly became unpleasant. With trembling hands, he had tried to swallow a few blood tablets, but without drugging himself, they refused to remain in his stomach. Coughing them back up had also caused more damage than the tablets could ever have compensated for. It had been about two hours – but the intensity of the hunter poison still raged through his entire blood stream.
He would wait another two hours for it to subside and then he would lie down to sleep. At least then he could be sure that his body wouldn't shut down completely. Everything hurt and it was an annoying feeling. It didn't get any better by the fact that the ache in his chest remained an incessant reminder of his bond to the pureblood. But it wasn't half as annoying as the reminder of how he could have done better on his mission. They had made it out alive…
But he was angry at himself. He had failed. The more he thought about it, the worse he thought of himself. The Association was none too pleased that his team mates had been wounded. Neither was Zero for that matter. He might lose the team. Not that he had wanted to be team leader in the first place. And the possibility of him not having to lead another team in the future was rather relieving. Still, Zero was angry at himself for slipping like that. He had gone straight to his sensei wanting more training. But Yagari would have none of it. Yagari being considerate with a vampire… Who'd have thought…
He swallowed his sigh, because he could feel the ache of their bond lessen slowly. The pureblood was approaching. Zero closed his eyes. He wanted quiet. He wanted to be left the hell alone, but their bond wouldn't let him. He knew perfectly well that he needed blood, that his wounds wouldn't be healed without it. But he didn't want to have to need it.
"Tch..." he snorted. A small part of him even wanted the pureblood near. But only for the ache to stop, he told himself. His room was a mess – his blood was everywhere. The rumpled and torn coat lay on the floor in a bloody heap together with the long-sleeved shirt he'd worn. Kuran wouldn't like him bleeding everywhere, but Zero couldn't care less. The hunter hadn't even bothered to put on a shirt over his bandaged torso. No need to ruin a perfectly good piece of clothing with all that stupid blood.
"Zero." The voice was quiet and yet worried.
~{}~
"Kuran." Zero's voice sounded bored – but Kaname wasn't fooled. He knew the hunter was worn out and annoyed.
"Kaname."
Zero didn't answer. Inwardly, the pureblood sighed. Was a little informality between bond mates asked too much? He took in the solemn figure. His hand and torso were bandaged up though the blood was slowly seeping through. Knowing the delicious taste of that blood made it a little difficult to control the thirst. Bloody clothing lay on the floor, tempting the pureblood even more.
The hunter didn't move or speak. Kaname knew perfectly well, that he was in a lot of pain. Examining his body with pureblood senses he could tell that the hunter was suppressing his body's urge to fall into a healing slumber, forcing his muscles into a controlled posture with great effort. Kaname felt it himself. His own body echoed all of Zero's pain. His hand stung and he felt like a part of his torso had been torn out. But the worst part was the sting of that hunter poison in his entire blood stream. The pureblood loathed it, every vampire did.
But outwardly, Zero showed none of it. No wince, no blood lust. Zero displayed nothing except stoic calm. He was trained too well. Even Kaname had to look very hard to see the slight clench of his jaw when he moved to speak. Not that he was speaking now…
The oppressing silence continued. The hunter obviously saw no need to initiate communication. Though he had opened the door, Kaname remained in the doorway and didn't enter the room. It wasn't polite to invade someone's personal space. And if the hunter had made one thing clear, than that he needed a lot of personal space. Silver strands of hair brushed the earrings that he wore as he turned to face away entirely from the pureblood.
So we're back to not even looking at each other? Though he refused to let his thoughts drift into their bond, Kaname felt a sense of disappointment.
"You're angry." The pureblood stated.
"If you came to gloat just get the hell out of here…" the hunter muttered. Kaname couldn't help noticing his muscled back. Even with his torso bandaged up, he looked well-toned and strong. Zero always refused to show weakness. No matter what.
"So you're angry at yourself." The pureblood probed his mood, ignoring Zero's accusation.
"That's not your problem."
Kaname sighed again internally. Why would the pureblood come to gloat? If anything, he'd come to see if the hunter would be alright and of course because he needed blood. But he found, he was distracted by Zero's presence and by the way the rising sun was currently reflecting in the hunter's silver hair.
"You're wounded." He commented.
"That's not your…"
"Yes it is." Kaname interrupted him. "I am hurting as well."
Zero snorted quietly. After a short pause, growled "Your suggestion…?"
"Drink." The pureblood said simply.
"No." Zero answered flatly.
Kaname sighed. "You know you need…"
"The tablets are fine." Zero interrupted him. Kaname wanted to state the obvious – that Zero's body would not accept them, but perhaps that wouldn't be too helpful.
"Then at least let me heal you."
Zero clenched his teeth. Then he shook his head. "No."
"Is there a reason why you're punishing me with your pain? Or is it rather that you're punishing yourself?"
They both knew this statement was entirely manipulative. But Kaname suggesting that Zero was hurting the pureblood on purpose did the trick. The hunter's pride was still there.
"Fine." He said shortly.
Taking that as the closest thing to an invitation he'd get, the pureblood stepped into the room. Zero didn't turn. Kaname wondered faintly, why he bothered with this amount of insolence, why he – a pureblood – waited for an invitation, but he told himself it was because he wanted the hunter to trust him. A stupid notion, yes, but worth an attempt nonetheless. He walked up to the hunter, but Zero held up his hand, stopping him. Still he didn't turn to face the brunette.
"Don't get any stupid ideas." He growled.
Kaname smiled. It was almost funny. 'Mister Unapproachable' had consented to allowing the pureblood to heal him. With any other vampire it would have been the other way around. Any other vampire would give a limb to be acknowledged, let alone healed by a pureblood. And instead of refusing to yield to 'stupid ideas' they would all hope for the pureblood to have their way with them.
In a sense, it was sick, but it was considered an honor even to be raped by a pureblood. It was amazing how far some would go just to get the attention of a powerful vampire. But not Zero. The Level D hunter-turned-vampire that Kaname's blood had saved from Level E would never whore himself to any vampire. Only he would possess the insolence of wordlessly ordering a pureblood around who wanted to help him with his back toward him.
"Lie down." Kaname was sure a 'Don't worry' would do nothing to alleviate Zero's suspicion. He assumed that a straightforward approach would be more preferable to him.
Zero turned and looked at him hard. Kaname calmly returned the gaze and looked back into the lilac eyes, amazed at Zero's unwavering control over himself, over his thirst and pain.
"Or do you need me to kneel at your feet?" Kaname asked a light tone.
The hunter scowled and snorted but complied.
Unblinking lilac eyes followed his every move as Kaname unwrapped the bandages and peeled them off the bleeding wound. The scent of blood hit Kaname's nostrils with full force and he knew that his eyes were red instantly. But he forced himself to remain calm and focused. The hunter hated being vulnerable, especially around a vampire. That was entirely understandable.
Softly, Kaname licked the blood off the pale skin, cleaning the ragged edges where the claws had torn into the hunter's body. Though the taste was tempting on his tongue, he continued to stay on the rim of the wound, slowly cleaning it. Then he dipped his tongue into the wound, trying hard not to sink his hungry fangs into the bleeding flesh. Zero took the entire procedure in silence without flinching or moaning once.
Pureblood saliva didn't only have healing properties. Especially when applied for longer, it could also make a formidable drug. Kaname relaxed the hunter, drugging him slightly. Zero needed to rest. But the stubborn hunter noticed it almost instantly and began to struggle, internally fighting his slowing heartbeat and relaxing muscles.
"Kuran…" he growled. "I said nothing… stupid…" He fought to keep his eyes open.
Kaname didn't look up, but continued lapping at the wound, urging the tissue to mend. He spoke into the hunters mind, since his tongue was currently busy.
"There is nothing stupid about sleep. I won't do anything harmful to you. Now rest."
"Bastard…"
~{}~
Kaname licked his lips, the taste of Zero's blood still on his tongue. He had licked the wound until it closed up and even without drinking the taste of that rich blood had been highly gratifying. The hunter poison in Zero's body had not been pleasant. Still, it had taken a lot of will power not to sink his teeth into the wounded body, especially after he had forced Zero's body to sleep. Every vampire was susceptible to a defenseless, bleeding body. It was their nature to feel the need to consume the weak. But he had resisted, focusing on keeping the act as impersonal as possible. Had he wanted to, he could have made the hunter squirm in pleasure. But he didn't. He had managed to keep it at a feeling of comfortable warmth.
Now that he was asleep, he carried the hunter to the waiting limousine and had the driver return to Kuran mansion. He even brought Zero's weapons along though he avoided touching them.
He could survive with very little blood. For a pureblood, tasting your mate's essence was more of a psychological need. The amount of blood he had tasted from Zero was enough to almost entirely satisfy him. That was good, because he would need to feed Takuma some of his blood to uphold their pretense.
But Zero needed blood as well. It wouldn't be long until he craved it so badly that he needed to drink – whether he liked it or not. Zero was a very stubborn individual. He knew the thirst of a falling Level D. He had fought it to the last moment. But he needed to feed. If he didn't come tomorrow, the pureblood decided he would force him. Kaname needed his mate healthy. A thirsty vampire was weakened, dangerous and out-of-control – any of these possibilities could lead to his death and therefore Kaname's as well.
He wasn't exactly pleased about the fact, that Zero had wordlessly spent all night walking through hunter charms – the pureblood loathed the zing of hunter-induced helplessness. To his body it felt like being shocked with bolts of electricity. Not until today had Kaname understood the extent of Zero's hunter pride. Now he knew what the stubborn, silver-haired hunter went through to live up to his heritage. And though he was slightly awed, he was not happy about it.
Though the wounds had closed, there was still a dull ache left. It worried the pureblood that Zero would simply wait out an injury such as the one he had sustained, that he didn't care for his body in the least and that he even refused to let his body slip into its natural healing sleep. And he didn't even want to get started on Zero's version of catching a poisoned hunter blade.
~{}~
Zero lay in bed staring at the ceiling. He knew his eyes were red because they were stinging like crazy. It was the strain he was putting on his body. After waking from the sleep Kuran had forced him into, his body demanded replenishment of its strength. Repairing the damage had taken more energy out of his body than he had. He had reached his limit and he knew it. He needed to drink.
He wouldn't have woken up if it weren't for the smell of Kuran's blood. He was obviously feeding Ichijo. Zero didn't care about it. What Kuran and Ichijo did was their problem and not his. Kuran had said something about the noble posing as his mate in public. It didn't matter. As long as he didn't need to make public appearances it was fine… But he loathed that it triggered his thirst anyway. This time there was nothing he could do against this feeling. Red eyes stinging and chest clenching with icy pain he just hoped that the sleeping pills would work for a while. He could already feel himself being pulled into an unpleasant, dreamless state of unconsciousness.
~{}~
When he woke, Kaname instantly felt that something was off. At first he couldn't place it. He frowned. He was fine himself. The bond was silent, as usual. On instinct, he probed their connection, slightly searching through it as if to ask if Zero was ok. But, of course, there was no answer to his inquiry. Suddenly, he noticed that the skin of his throat started to hurt as though it was being torn. Then he smelled it.
Blood.
Zero's blood.
With pureblood speed he broke the door to Zero's room. A snarl greeted him from the far end of a dark corner.
"Go away." a hostile voice growled.
Kaname moved closer to him. Zero was alone in the room. There was no immediate danger except maybe from the hunter himself who was sprawled - half sitting, half lying - on the floor in the corner against the wall. The usually amethyst colored eyes were a brilliant crimson and the strong hands had turned to dark claws. Blood dripped from them where they dug into the hunter's throat. That explained the pain Kaname's had been feeling on his own.
"Leave me alone." Zero growled a little hoarse.
Kaname shook his head. Zero was thirsty. And just like he had always done, the stubborn hunter was struggling against it violently. Kaname undid the buttons of his pajama shirt.
"Stop fighting it." he said quietly eyeing the claws clench and unclench around the hunter's throat, drawing unnecessarily large amounts of blood.
Kaname felt every single scratch Zero was dealing to himself on his own body. Adding to that, the crimson liquid welling up from the pale skin was calling to Kaname, especially because he knew how heavenly it would taste. He struggled with himself for a few seconds. Then, in a moment when Zeros claws were as far out of the skin as he'd allow them, Kaname grabbed them and pulled them away from where they could do harm. Zero gave a snarl.
"Go... go away... Ku... Ku… ran." his breath was an irregular pattern of gasps as he struggled for control, his fangs protruding from beneath his upper lip.
"It's ok Zero." Kaname said in a soothing voice crouching beside the hunter on the floor. Zero was obviously keeping an absolutely iron grip on himself - even their bond was still dead silent despite his condition.
"No," he groaned shaking his head
Kaname moved closer.
Violently, running out of the capacity to speak, Zero jerked his head away, smashing it into the wall behind him with enough force to let the plaster crumble. Kaname gripped the hunter's hands tightly and clenched his teeth feeling the nauseating impact on his own head.
"Zero, please. Stop fighting it. You need to drink."
He whimpered in answer, struggling against the pureblood holding down his hands. Kaname slid into the hunter's lap, his throat and neck exposed inches away from Zero's thirsty fangs.
"Drink." he ordered.
Again, the hunter shook his head. Kaname wasn't sure he would be able to hold on to himself in a similar situation. Zero's stubbornness was admirable and awe-inspiring but totally unnecessary; dangerous, even. No, this could definitely not go on. The crimson irises dilated and slowly began to roll upward. No way... Kaname shook his head as he realized what Zero was doing. The hunter was forcing himself into unconsciousness.
Enough!
Mentally binding the flexing claws, Kaname gripped the hunter's jaw.
"Why are you fighting it this much?" he growled at the crimson eyes, maybe a little less understanding than he had intended.
Crimson eyes slowly focused on Kaname and the look they gave him was devastating. There was no answer for a long time. But then a tear crawled down Zero's strained face. For a few seconds Kaname could only stare at it, watching it make its way down the pale skin. He had never seen Zero cry before. He had not seen it – because Zero did not cry... Kaname couldn't stop staring.
"I am a monster." the hunter whispered in a cracking voice.
