Author's Note: Hi guys! As promised, Chapter 11! Sorry that it's short, but you guys finally get to hear more about the possible culprits behind this whole situation! FINALLY. I need to mention that I have no clue about business dealings whatsoever, so everything is left deliberately vague. Hopefully I didn't make any weird mistakes, too. I would also like to point out that in writing this story, I have kept to the Japanese convention of writing names, i.e. family names first. That is why I say 'Kuran Kaname' instead of 'Kaname Kuran.' So Reiya is a family name.

Okay, then! Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please review :D

Disclaimer: Credits to Matsuri Hino, Blackened Wing and TammyTBoneTTB!

PRESENT

'Kaname-sama?

The pureblood did not stir from his position on his recliner chair. The quiet voice hesitated for a few seconds, waiting for a reply that was not about to come. But then, it continued softly. Its owner would normally not have dared to continually disturb the pureblood when it was obvious he wanted to brood alone, especially with the dark, oppressive aura emanating from within the study. But the news she brought was one she knew the pureblood would want to hear.

'My research has revealed that recently, queries were made within the vampire community regarding the Time Switcher Spell.'

Kaname's ears perked up at that information, the depressing fog swirling about his mind clearing ever so slightly as he processed Seiren's words.

'...What else have you found?'

The female vampire sighed in relief inwardly, even though no trace of it showed on her face or in her voice. Even if it was only for a short while, she wanted Kaname-sama to have a brief respite from his despondent ruminations.

'All tracks made were very thoroughly covered up, but I managed to trace some loose ends back to a pharmaceutical company, Reiya Pharmaceutical Holdings.

A crease formed between the brunette's brows. Reiya Pharmaceutical Holdings? They were a rival company, often competing for the same contracts and land space. More often than not, Kaname's pharmaceutical company was the one that emerged victorious, snatching deal after deal from right under their noses.

Not that Kaname resorted to any unscrupulous means in his business dealings. He didn't have to. His name and reputation was enough to have companies and land-owners lining up to offer contract deals. He was vaguely aware that before he had started dipping his toes into the pharmaceutical industry all those years ago for Yuuki's sake, Reiya Pharmaceutical Holdings had been monopolising that field. Despite the owner being only a noble vampire, even Sato Daichi's enterprise had struggled to compete against them, which explained why Daichi had been so keen to offer Kaname his assistance then, hoping to foster better business relations to help his company gain a competitive edge over Reiya's.

The company had been established many centuries ago by Reiya Ibuki, a noble vampire. While most entrepreneur nobles remained content with maintaining modest companies so long as they raked in enough profit, Ibuki had baulked at the societal norm of noble vampires shying away from expanding their outreach and delving into international dealings, for fear of stepping on any pureblood toes. In those days, all the industries' big players had been purebloods, and no noble vampires dared to step so much as an inch into their territory.

But Ibuki had been different. He had slogged his guts out to expand his pharmaceutical company internationally, blatantly disregarding all incredulous looks and cautionary threats that had been thrown his way.

And, much to the shock of vampires everywhere, he had done it. The first noble vampire to ever successfully run a business empire without a pureblood holding the reins behind the scenes.

No one had expected his success to last long, especially since the lifespans of noble vampires were laughably miniscule compared to those of purebloods. His pureblood competitors had scoffed at his success, biding their time until he died and the industry would once again be theirs to rule.

But Ibuki was no fool. He made sure to sire countless children, testing and judging their capabilities all throughout their lives until he found the perfect successor. On his deathbed, he had reluctantly signed everything over to his son, Hisoka.

Hisoka had turned out to be the perfect carbon copy of his father, leading the company to even greater success that had only continued to snowball, until the business had finally taken over the industry, wiping out all other competitors.

Presently, the company was being managed by Hisoka's daughter and chosen successor, Chikako, a quiet, seemingly unassuming woman. Despite her manner and appearance, she was a natural leader and businesswoman, having been trained all her life to take over the reins of the company.

However, after Kaname's unexpected entry into the industry had blasted Reiya Holdings' monopoly wide open, the public had slammed her with harsh judgements of ineptness, having led the fruit of her father and grandfather's labour to its ruin.

Some time ago, after losing yet another deal to Kaname's company, the comments in the newspapers about Reiya Chikako had been so scathing that even Kaname had felt a stab of pity for his competitor. It had prompted him to reach out to her, offering his help under the guise of a collaborative proposal.

But Chikako had firmly and crisply refused his help, stating that her grandfather would rather see the company run to the ground than have her accept a pureblood's support and assistance. Kaname had thoroughly admired her gutsy move. A more cruel pureblood would have instantly devastated her and her company for having had his offer flung rudely back into his face.

He had simply let it go, thinking that until the company's inevitable collapse, the only other relationship he would have with Reiya Pharmaceuticals would be purely that of a business rivalry.

But now...

A hiss in displeasure escaped his lips. Had Chikako, desperate to keep the floundering company afloat, decided to perform the Time Switcher Spell as revenge against him? Or as an underhanded means of distracting him from business so that Reiya could swoop in and snatch up all his contracts and deals? Using his protégé, his lover, as a stepping stone...

'How dare they!?'

Seiren, standing on the other side of the door, tensed as she felt the black, swirling aura tighten and whirl threateningly. The temperature plunged dangerously, the wooden door beneath her palm cool and frosty. Perhaps her insistence on informing him had not been the best of ideas while he was currently in such a dark mood.

Then, all of sudden, the aura faded away, temperature returning to normal. She inhaled shakily, her throat and lungs finally free from the constricting aura that had shrouded her entire body previously. However, her impenetrable, placid mask had never cracked in the slightest all throughout that whole episode.

'Seiren.'

'Yes, Kaname-sama?'

'Research all you can about Reiya Pharmaceutical Holdings. The CEO herself, every employee they've ever had, every contract they've ever made and every property they've ever owned. Bring me anything that seems amiss or suspicious.'

In other words, 'bring me anything that I can blackmail them with'.

Seiren nodded, receiving the underlying message loud and clear. 'Yes, Kaname-sama.'

Then she turned, vanishing out the nearest the window.

Once Kaname could no longer sense her presence, it was as if all the wind had escaped his sails. He sagged back onto his seat, laying the back of one hand against his shut eyelids.

How many hours had it been since Zero left? Four, five hours, maybe? What did it matter, when all Kaname had been left with was a terrible silence in the halls and a yawning chasm in his chest? Without Zero by his side, nothing seemed to matter anymore. Even his previous wrath at the culprits responsible for this whole mess had fizzled away to nothing, following his praetorian's departure.

After his... episode in the forest, which he was grateful past Zero had not been around to see, he had returned to the house, numbly walking through the familiar rooms, memories of him and lover flooding in from every piece of furniture he saw. Like the velvet carpet in the living room that they had bought together. Zero's eye had immediately been drawn to the light grey carpet in the furniture shop, even though it had been rolled up and shoved in a corner.

'It's not one of our top sellers, because it's quite plain. Most customers dislike the dull colour as well. Might I recommend you something better?'

'Ilike it. Will you take it out?'

Kaname had watched in silent amusement as the shopkeeper had tried, in vain, to dissuade Zero from choosing that carpet, while Zero had stubbornly refused to change his mind. Both got increasingly frustrated with each other, almost to the point where they were outright shouting and glaring at each other.

In the end, a thoroughly pissed off Zero had turned to Kaname, asking him for his honest opinion. Kaname had only chuckled slightly, before telling the red-faced, flustered man to wrap it up, because they were taking it. The triumphant smirk Zero had shot the poor nonplussed shopkeeper almost had Kaname doubling over in laughter.

The pureblood had smiled at the memory, a nostalgic, tender one that had softened the expression in his eyes. But it had only lasted for a second before the agonising pain in his heart flared up again.

He had quickly marched to his study, locking himself inside, before flopping down. Unbridled, the memories had all surged up to overflow in his mind's eye, reminding him of every touch, every quirk of his lip, every glint of his eye, every twitch of his fingers.

Kaname had not shed another tear though, not after leaving the forest.

Because during the hours he had had to himself in this dark, lonely room, he had made up his mind.

He wasn't going to let Zero leave him.

Even if his lover hated him for it.

Picking up the phone receiver on his desk, he swiftly punched in some numbers, leaning back as he waited impatiently for the vampire on the other end to pick up. His steely gaze flicked over to the window, where the sun was just beginning its descent, slowly shifting to fall behind the hills. The sky was painted a vivid orange-red, dyeing the nearby spatters of clouds a beautiful shade of vermilion.

Zero always did like admiring the sunrise and sunset. Kaname sometimes woke up alone in bed, and the absence of his lover's warm, lanky body made the bed much too cold and big for his liking. That always prompted him to get out of bed to chase down his elusive hunter, in an attempt to pull him back under the sheets.

More often than not, Kaname would find him standing by the huge window in the second-floor corridor, with only a sheet messily tied around his waist as he peeked out at the view hidden behind the blinds. Just like a little kid sneaking downstairs to the Christmas tree, surreptitiously peeling back the wrapping paper on his present in an attempt to discern the treasure concealed within.

And despite the strong glare that hurt his eyes, the pureblood would always make his way over to him, shaking his head slightly in mock admonishment when Zero sensed his presence and shot him a small, apologetic smile.

Kaname would hold him tenderly in his arms from behind, resting his head gently against Zero's with his eyes closed against the sunrays. Zero's arms would fold over his as he relaxed back against the pureblood's embrace, sighing softly in contentment. Only when it was all over would the hunter allow himself to be led back to bed.

'Kaname-sama?'

Kaname blinked, crashing back down to reality when the familiar voice sounded in his ear.

'Aidou.'

Bang!

A flurry of birds fluttered off from the treetops as a single shot rang out in the still silence of night.

Swifter than the eye could see, a small, precise hole pierced through the target's body, warm liquid spurting out from the fatal wound. With a small shudder, it tottered dangerously around the branch that it was perched on, before finally surrendering and falling to the ground with a thud.

Zero dragged the back of his hand across his upper lip, wiping off the beads of sweat that had gathered there. Eyeing the fallen aluminium can which was currently squirting and spraying soda all over the forest floor, he lowered Bloody Rose, ignoring the slight tremor in his hand.

It had been some hours since his future self had come to 'visit'. Although Zero had not given any outward indication of it, the wind had carried the distinct smell of salt over to him as he had been leaving Kuran somewhere around where he was now currently plinking. The implication of that scent had almost turned him around, but thankfully, he managed to hold himself back in time.

And the fact that he had been thus tempted to comfort the pureblood severely pissed him off. Why should he have cared whether or not the pureblood was upset that he had lost his promising protégé? Sure, this wasn't the Kuran Kaname that he knew and hated with every fibre of his body, but heck, he was still a pureblood vampire! One who had managed to get future Zero under his thumb, regardless of how it had happened.

He had been thoroughly appalled at the way future Zero regarded vampires. Where was all that fire and anger? The hurling of curses and insults at them? The Zero in his mind had been beyond calm and understanding, seeming to cast a positive light over everything, even being cruelly attacked by his own brother. What was it he'd said, 'even if it hadn't been him, someone else would have been sent to do it'? How laughable. That didn't merit such indulgent forgiveness.

It had definitely been disgust that had welled up in him then. At how his future self had become so soft, so utterly and completely different from the Zero he was now.

And yet, why had he cared so much that Kuran had been tearing up? Because he honestly didn't. Honestly shouldn't.

Zero had returned to his room in the foulest of moods as he had contemplated that question all through the walk back. The door had been slammed shut behind him, shoes violently kicked off. And he had been all for taking out his frustration on the furniture and clothes in future Zero's room. In fact, he had thrown the wardrobe doors wide open, wrenching out the closest article of clothing his searching hands had managed to find. He had had Rose in hand, only a second away from firing at the black slacks in his hand.

But then, a photograph had fluttered out from one of the pockets, landing softly on the carpeted floor. If Yuuki's face had not been beaming up at him, he would have just continued anyway.

However, having been distracted by that familiar face, he had let the pants crumble to the floor, hanger and all, before bending down swiftly to scoop up the picture. He had then made his way over to sit on that huge heavenly bed, examining the photo under the non-glaring sunlight lighting up the room.

Yuuki was older in the picture, about twenty or so. It had obviously been her graduation, because an oversized blue cape was draped around her slim shoulders, a graduation cap of the same colour sitting crookedly on her head. But she wasn't alone. An older version of Zero and Kuran were in the picture with her, each on either side of Yuuki. Kuran looked much like the pureblood he had just left in the forest, except that his eyes here seemed less weary and guarded. A small smile played on his lips as amused wine orbs gazed right into the camera lens.

Then Zero's probing gaze had fallen over the other male in the picture. His first ever glance of how future Zero looked like; the face to match the voice he had been speaking to in his head mere moments ago.

God, he looked so happy.

Perhaps no one else would have been able to tell, but this was Zero. He knew what his version of happy was, even if it was indiscernible to the rest of the world. The amethyst eyes that had stared unflinchingly back into his own were completely unrecognisable. Softened and affectionate, they clearly reflected the calm, peaceful emotional state of their owner. Zero just had not been able to imagine his own eyes ever looking like those. The smile on future Zero's face, too, was nothing he had never seen before. The corners of his lips were twisted upwards in a sincere smile, one that lit up his face and brightened his already-twinkling eyes.

Zero had spent several speechless minutes to stare down at the picture, tracing every outline of his own face, wondering at the foreign expression on that familiar face.

And in the midst of all that, he had somehow fallen asleep. He had only been awoken by the pureblood's bodyguard – Seiren, was it? – bringing a tray of food up for him. Despite his initial vehement refusal to touch anything that was Kuran's, his traitorous stomach had eventually forced him to finish every crumb on the tray.

Then he had grabbed the soda can on the tray and used it for target practice.

On his way down, a momentary surge of a dark, oppressive aura had enveloped his body, completely immobilising it. He had inhaled sharply, panic starting to rise up at being so helpless and defenceless. But it had only lasted for a second, before his body was his to control again. Glancing around warily but spying nothing amiss, he had continued on his way. Only when he had seen Seiren turning away from a closed door and shooting out the window did he understand the cause of that strange episode.

Apparently, Kuran was still in quite a mood.

Thankfully, Zero had required no additional effort to continue putting one foot in front of the other. His hesitation earlier had probably only been a momentary lapse in judgment, he reassured himself.

Bang!

Zero jumped, instantly breaking out of his reminiscing at the sudden gunshot. In shock, he realised that his grip on Rose had somehow loosened, forcing her to drop to the ground. Since the safety had still been off, a single bullet had been fired. Zero's panicked eyes swept the area. Had the accidental discharge hurt anything?

It was his nose that gave him the information he needed.

The scent of blood spilled out over the clearing, instantly dyeing his lilac eyes a tinge of red. A familiar clenching gripped at his chest, his heart rate abruptly speeding up as a pool of fire that began in his stomach quickly scorched through his entire body.

Shit.

With all that had been happening, Zero had almost forgotten that he was about due for another attack.

'Damn it,' growled the hunter, sinking to his knees in the grass, one hand clutching tightly at his burning throat. He could feel his fangs poking into his lower lip, aching painfully as they begged to be sunk into pliant flesh, to feel warm, delicious blood pouring into his mouth and relieving his unbearable thirst. The fallen rabbit was so close. He could be there in less than a heartbeat, holding the warm, furry body up to his lips, tongue swiping out to taste the blood that was flowing out of the wound...

No! Fight it, Zero!

His free hand fisted in the grass, desperately holding onto the tiny blades as if that grip was the only thing stopping him from flying over to ravage the poor animal.

It probably was.

The hand around his throat tightened as the fire spreading through his body grew in intensity, wreaking havoc on his system. It was pure agony, as if industrial-grade sulphuric acid was burning up his insides, melting them down to a gooey, smouldering mess. There was only one thing that could alleviate the excruciating pain, and it was rightthere, if only he would just mo-

No, hang in there! It'll pass!

Zero doubled over, folding his body until he was collapsed face down in the grass. His grips on both the grass and his throat never relaxed. Harsh pants spilled out from his lips as he gasped for breath, struggling to rein in the abominable hunger. Sweat poured out from his body, matting his hair and soaking his clothing.

For ten agonising minutes he remained in that position, body tensed and trembling, waiting for the worst of the bloodlust to pass.

And finally, mercifully, it eventually did.

Once the fire blazing through his insides had been sufficiently dowsed, and his fangs were no longer extended, Zero took a deep shuddering breath, before grabbing Rose and getting gingerly to his feet. Pointedly ignoring the spot in which the dead rabbit lay, he hobbled sluggishly back towards the house, hoping he would not run into anyone.

Once he was finally back in the room, he peeled off all his clothing, before throwing on the slacks he had been ready to obliterate earlier. Without a moment's hesitation, he dumped his half-naked self onto the bed, hand deftly sliding underneath the pillows to retrieve the photograph he had found earlier.

He was only able to stare at it for a minute before his vision started wavering, edges turning fuzzy. As the tendrils of sleep gradually reached out to ensnare him in their grip, he frowned briefly, wondering why he was constantly lethargic, despite having slept so much.

But then, sleep overtook him and those thoughts were no more.

That's it, then! Hmm, wonder what plans Kaname has in store ;) And I can't even recall how many times Zero has gone to bed in this fic XD It means something, though :) I swear I'm not just writing it like this to make Zero seem like a slob HAHA.

Replies to my dear reviewer:

BlackAbyss: Thank you for the warm welcome back to ff :):) Oh, man, I'm so sorry that confused you. There wasn't anyone else there. You know how in movies, when stuff is ending, the camera slowly zooms out from a person? I think I was trying to get that kind of feel. Like shifting from Zero's perspective to a third-person view, that kinda thing, while the word 'yes...' echoes out. I THINK I FAILED AT IT THOUGH, I'M SO SORRY IT CONFUSED YOU T.T Oh no, please don't apologise for that! Hearing that my story can bring out such intense emotions really makes me feel extremely happy (even though I'm sorry to have cause you any sadness! T.T) Oh, wow, you're following a great praise up with another, even more awesome compliment. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! :):) That really makes me super happy :) Hahaha I googled that phrase and ended up watching the Mean Girls' clip of that scene LOL. Thank you so much for the review and your support! Love ya too :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well :)