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" How did you know that ? "
Ruka's voice was everything she's always been , ladylike and graceful , only difference was the amount of genuine emotions radiating from her .
Zero would have gotten amused at that , if he wasn't too busy panicking over what to say . He had to make up an excuse or something ! But what ? He'd never been a good liar . Actually , he'd never been good at leading conversations , especially with women .
Before he could blurt anything out though , Ruka spoke up once more . His expression must have urged her to elaborate .
" Akatsuki is a very private person . I don't see how that kind of information could pop up in a talk with you , of all people . So how did you know ? "
Zero parted his lips to give an answer when someone flung an arm around his shoulder , effectively halting his actions and interrupting the moment .
" Ooh . What a sight to behold ! "
Ichiru exclaimed in a playful timbre , having been astonished when he caught a glimpse of his brother standing and seemingly conversing with Ruka Souen .
What an odd pair , right ?
He couldn't help getting involved , for more than one reason . But that's a story for another time .
In any case , his emerging seemed to have disturbed Ruka , for some reason .
" Souen-san , I didn't know you liked my introvert brother's company . But I'm glad he's getting over Yuki-san and willing to spend his time with another girl . "
The next thing that he knew was being glared at by both of them before Zero snatched himself away from the suffocating hold and shook his head at his insufferable brat of a brother .
" Do you ever think before you act , idiot ? "
Ichiru simply grinned at that , as if he meant to provoke him even more , which he , unfortunately , succeeded in .
Zero wasn't angry because of Ichiru's words , just annoyed . He knew his twin was being his usual teasing self and all , but it still bothered him to some extent .
Because it wasn't a serious statement , he wasn't about to get worked up about it , justifying his unusual presence with Souen .
Speaking of the noble , at first , she was just mildly curious . But after she'd asked how he knew , Kiryuu blinked in response and narrowed his eyebrows , as if confused . She could tell , however , that he knew exactly what she was talking about . He was just pretending he had no idea . She could feel her curiosity skyrocketing at that alone .
It didn't help lessen her suspicions when the other Kiryuu made his appearance , out of the blue . It was too accurate to be a coincidence . Something fishy was going on , Ruka had no doubt .
Seriously ! Those twins were up to something and she was going to find out what .
True to her word , or well , thought , Ruka gave a smile that screamed she understood very well that no one in their right mind would think it possible for her and Zero Kiryuu to be romantically acquainted . She also knew that Ichiru might have been trying to draw her attention away from his brother .
" The only interest I have in your brother has to do with my cousins . You wouldn't happen to know , would you ? "
Well , that wasn't a complete lie . The full truth , however , was the fact Kiryuu held so much more interest because of his special existence to the kurans .. But Ruka wasn't just about to acknowledge that .
" Wait.. Wait . Is this , perhaps , an interrogation ? " Putting on a comical expression , feigning ignorance or innocence , Ichiru questioned in an overly exaggerated tone . Imagine that ! Not just exaggerated , but overly so . that's incredibly telling .
Zero looked like he wanted to frown but he schooled his expression and instead , voiced " Ichiru , do us all a favour and go stuff your face in that overgrown bush outside . "
As expected , Ichiru widened his eyes , like the drama-queen he was , and stood there , frozen place , feeling oh so terribly offended and heartbroken that he had to hear that from his precious onii-san !
Seeing as how he finished dealing with one issue , Zero proceeded tackling the other .
" Souen-san , I just now realized what you meant earlier . To answer your question , Ichiru and I have once had the honor of experiencing a sleepover with Kuran's inner circle , males only - needless to say - . You'd be surprised how much we ended up knowing about each other because of that one night . "
Ruka could only narrow her eyes at such words , easily ignoring the obvious sarcasm emphasised in there . If that was true , then .. The Kiryuu twins must have known a lot about the most significant male nobles and vice versa .
Well , that certainly explained how they would learn of each other's sleeping habits . Still , a nagging voice kept telling her there was more than meets the eye . If only she knew how right she was .
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From a distance , a certain pureblood kept a watchful eye on Zero . Her mind , however , was focused on yet another pureblood .
At least , that was the case until she saw Yori approaching Zero , shortly followed by Aidou .
Before she knew it , she was already calling for Yori , unconsciously hoping she'd be drawing his attention to her by doing so . She was proven wrong when he didn't react to her voice , not even in the slightest .
" Yuki-chan , I'm starting to think you'd rather have someone else standing next to you now . " Yori playfully scolded when she noticed her friend spacing out and saying nothing even though she was one to ask for her presence .
" Eh ? Oh ! That's not it . And hey , that should be my line . You looked like you were enjoying yourself so much earlier with you know who . " Yuki returned the favour with equal playfulness , referring to Aidou and smirking when she saw her best friend blushing ever so imperceptibly .
Thankfully , that managed to work , for now . Yori seemed to take the bait , going with the flow that Yuki had forced on her , shifting the topic like that .
It might have not been a wise move , but Yuki wasn't in the mood to talk about that topic . She took a U turn , running away from her fears , something she had become rather experienced in , not to brag .
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Unbeknownst to her , Someone was watching Yuki the same way she was watching Zero not so long ago .
She did know he was among the guests but she had no idea he was gazing at her , not to mention quite intently .
Kaname stood by the curved railing in the balcony , bathed in the darkness he thought he belonged to , watching the party progress from afar .
Frankly speaking , he was that close to phoning Yuki and telling her he wouldn't be able to show up for the soiree , or at least not for the most of it . But he couldn't . He decided not to go through with that . He didn't want her to interpret his absence as a deliberate one , meant to guilt or pressure her into choosing him .
A part of him wanted to be selfish and claim her his . But another part , considerably larger , firmly believed he'd had enough happiness . It was time for Yuki to live under the light , the way she was always meant to . But for that to happen , he had to eliminate every threat possible .. He had to protect her and make amends .
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The morning that followed , Yuki woke up and thought it was a good idea to show up at Zero's apartment , abuse the doorbell , shock him awake , and drag him along with her for an early breakfast . And yea .. by early , he meant 9 in the 'human' morning . If he was left to his own devices , he'd be eating around 11 o'clock .
In any case , it's because of her that both of them were now sitting in a vintage themed cafe , contently waiting for the food , at least on Yuki's part .
Zero , on the other hand , was busy taking his half bad mood out on her , by studying those coffee brown locks and burnt-wood eyes .
A thought occurred to him when his gaze landed on her defined lips though .
The darker the lipstick , the more likely it's being used to cover up an emotional turmoil .
He would know . After all , his mother was one to reveal that secret to him .
Back then , when he was a child , he would tip toe and watch with rapt attention as his mother sat in front of the mirror , painting her lips with a small brush dipped in a cherry color she called rouge . That wasn't the only shade , but it definitely was the most common . Red .
Back to the present though .. Yuki was never into red lipstick . She preferred dusty pink and peach colors . So why did she decide to wear that deep red shade today ?
Maybe she wanted to distract herself from thinking about Kuran , and by extension , him . She wanted to prove a point to herself , without even realizing it .
Maybe somewhere inside her brain , she was doing the same thing his mother had told him about .
If you would use the term ' dare ' to describe a woman's look , chances are she's not in the best psychological state .
There are exceptions , of course . But at that moment , Zero knew one thing. His mother's quote applied to Yuki .
He studied her more .
She was distressed , that much he could tell , without her having to utter a single word about it . And really , it wasn't that difficult to guess the reason why . In fact , it was the easiest thing in the world , to the point that a simple name could answer it .
Kuran Kaname .
Zero didn't know if he should be feeling grateful or miserable because of that .
Spending time with Yuki as though they were having a date was great . But he wasn't about to fool himself and think it wasn't thanks to Kuran that Yuki found the courage to face him . Could it even be called courage ? Zero honestly had no idea ..
He just knew one thing , Yuki was going to keep him waiting .
It's been a while since she moved in her new flat , kept a distance from both of them and all , but that didn't change the fact she'd once left with Kuran when he awakened her .
It was partly Zero's fault for pushing her away , stating he'd be killing her the next time they met . But .. He had his reasons , okay . Imagine finding out that the girl you fell in love with was all along the very thing you hate the most . What kind of person would he have been if he disregarded that and chose to keep on loving her any ways ? A hypocrite blinded by love ..
People would argue that right now he was being a hypocrite , so what difference did it make ? He should have just accepted her from the start .. Maybe .. Maybe he should have .. But he couldn't , not when he was that overwhelmed and young .
Yes , young . His mentality hadn't had time to mature back then . He was stuck in the phase of thinking that all bloodsuckers were bad . He was hung up over the past . But all of that had changed , including his perspective .
Vampires can be good , just like how humans can be .
He wasn't necessarily all for vampires now .. but at least , he'd learned to be civil with and look at them for who they are , individually .
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It was some time around the afternoon when Zero arrived back home .
After he finished eating with Yuki , having enjoyed the time he spent with her , they both bid each other goodbye and left the cafe , never forgetting their plans for the rest of the day .
As for the hunter , he went to buy grocery for dinner and then headed back home .
He dropped the bags in the kitchen and took a deep breath before making his way to the fridge and getting a bottle of water out .
He took another one that sat atop the counter , to balance the temperature .
Once he was peacefully sitting in the living room , he took the lid off and drank , closing his eyes , loving the cold sensation it sent in his throat .
When he was finally sated , he reclined further into the couch and fished his cellphone out of his pocket , frowning when he realized that Takuma had yet to text him back .
The blonde male wasn't there in the party , as odd as it may seem . In fact , Zero hadn't heard a thing about him ever since the last time they met .
He honestly thought he was going to see him in Yuki's soiree . It was some time after his conversation with Souen that he realized Takuma was nowhere to be seen . Zero had texted him and waited for a response which he never got .
What was wrong with Takuma ?
Could he perhaps be in need of some time alone , away from people ?
Well , it was a possibility . Takuma has always been a social person .. It has to be tiring being cheerful and friendly all the time .. Well , maybe he should just wait .. It's not like the noble would commit suicide or something ..
Right ?
Oh dear .. Zero couldn't believe himself . What the hell was he doing worrying so much over someone he just recently got familiar with ?!
" God.. I need to turn off everything , including my brain . I need to be somewhere quiet . Actually , I need to sleep … Only problem is I know I wouldn't be getting any . " Grumbling faintly , Zero slapped a hand over his forehead and exhaled deeply before shutting his eyes , hoping for the darkness to lull him into a much needed nap .
He was goddamn tired he honestly thought it would take no time for sleep to claim him … But of course , he wouldn't be Zero Kiryuu if bad luck spared him , would he .
In the end , he decided to give it a try , only to face a failure he expected - knowing his luck - .
What result did he get ?
Nothing satisfying , mock sleep at its finest . He had his eyes closed and all , but he was painfully aware of his surroundings .
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For the next couple of days , Zero made a habit of texting Takuma , something he wasn't used to , especially because they mostly interacted once a week for their scheduled outing , according to their free time .
Aside from trying to reach a certain noble who had gone missing in action , Zero spent his day at home , cleaning , resting , eating , drinking , and reading until sunset . that's when he decided to try checking the television for something decent .
He'd ended up watching " The devil wears prada . "
If anyone dared to judge him , he'd put a bullet between their eyes . He'd always loved Anne Hathaway ! Sue him ! Emily blunt was so pretty too . he couldn't imagine anyone else playing her role . In fact , the whole cast was perfect !
Man .. Nothing can beat those good old days .
Speaking of old , he was in the mood for Beethoven .
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The rest of the evening went by slowly and uneventfully .
Zero was in the middle of making himself something to drink when his keen senses alerted him to something .
Could it be ?
Moonlight sonata was playing in the background when the doorbell rang , solidifying his earlier assumption , if he could call it so .
He wouldn't exactly say his guess was right , because he could sense it .
There was no mistaking it , no room for confusion .
However , he still doubted his own senses because he honestly didn't expect Takuma to pay him a visit .
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Praying to whatever power existed above that he looked presentable , Zero rushed to answer the door , something he noticed to be a natural reaction of his .
He'd always been fast when it came to responding , to anything , be it the phone or the door .
".. Glad to see you alive . " Zero mocked after he swayed the door open and stepped aside to allow the noble inside .
Takuma chuckled at that , going along with the joke and expressing his utmost gratitude towards the silverette .
It didn't take long before they both occupied the living room and had a small talk until Zero remembered the water he'd boiled just before Takuma rang the doorbell .
" Oh ! By the way , I was making myself a hot drink , would you like some latte ? Or coffee ? Or tea ? I have quite the variety . "
Zero's hospitality didn't receive a warm welcome , though not in a serious or rude sense .
Takuma insisted the hunter didn't have to treat him like a guest , because he wasn't , unless Zero himself considered him so .
That's how a certain silverette lost the argument before it had a chance to start .
The atmosphere was peaceful and warm until a distant voice started blaring in the recesses of his mind , warning him that something was off . But he brushed it away as a result of overthinking , sleep deprivation, and stress . He felt a tingle in his stomach make itself known but he still kept ignoring his instincts until it was too late .
Takuma came back with their drinks on a tray few minutes later , complimenting the place as he handed Zero his latte before sitting across , enjoying a sip of his flavoured tea .
The hunter barely finished half of his drink when the room started swimming before his eyes . His vision raced , taking less than a second to swipe over the room and settle on the carpeted floor that he collided with , the impact of the fall making his head throb even more , if that was possible .
Before he knew it , he was coughing the life out of himself , literally .
All he could see was masses of red .. That's when he realized he was in fact coughing up blood clots .
In the middle of the whole mess , stood Takuma , watching the scene with a morbid gleam tainting his otherwise tranquil and reassuring eyes .
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A/N
. I have a feeling I just confused you guys..
Any ways , I did proofread this but there still might be some cunning typos out there , or mistakes or whatever , words missing or the opposite . If you happen to run into any of those , please inform the nearest officer . Jk . Inform me though .
Updated 12:44 am 5 march .
I really should be going to bed .. I should have been sleeping hours earlier but this chapter provoked me into working on it .
Any ways ! Hope you enjoyed this .
Would love to hear your thoughts ~
Xoxo Zerovk