A/N: I'm terribly sorry I took so long to write this, but I had a terribly large mountain of things I had to do before I could continue ANY of my stories, really. So, after such a long wait, I hope you'll enjoy this. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long. Thank you for the reviews and alerts!
The brunet watched the younger boy as he leaned back against the pillow again, pulling the comforter over his head.
Like a kid.
"But you'll drink it?"
There was silence from the boy, and Kaname thought he heard soft snoring.
He was dreaming.
He heard girls' fanatical screaming of names and somehow recognized those wistful looks on their faces.
A familiar voice greeted his ears.
"Everybody, please move back! Go back to your rooms this instant!"
He frowned as he heard several unfriendly comments voiced to the petite brunette who was desperately trying to maintain order and peace as she tried to block the mass of students from getting near the gates.
At this instant, the gates swung open and revealed the students in white uniforms, with their ethereal grace and terrifying elegance.
The body of students that had gathered outside seemed to intensify in spirit, knocking the girl to the floor. The screams died down to hushed whispers as a familiar brunet stopped in front of the latter.
Amber eyes fell on the small form of the girl fondly.
He frowned again this time actually recognizing the figures that were interacting before him. It all seemed so familiar.
The girl's fair cheeks flushed.
"Are you okay, Yuuki? They are difficult, are they not?"
"… Ah, Kaname-senpai! Yes! I'm alright, thank you for your concern!"
The brunette shot up, brushing off her uniform, shyly looking down to the floor.
The brunet's gaze followed her, chuckling and flashing her one of his beautiful, perfect smiles.
"You're always so formal with me, Yuuki. It breaks my heart, you know?"
Hearing the brunet's words, the brunette panicked.
"N-No, I didn't mean to! It's just because you're the person who saved my life…"
The brunet chuckled once more, resting his long fingers on girl's head, ruffling her hair gently.
She looked frighteningly small.
Almost immediately, a hand grabbed the brunet's and moved it away from the female prefect's head.
He nearly gasped when he saw who that hand belonged to.
"Class is starting, Kuran."
The fair-haired boy's voice was laced with ice, and the brunet had frowned, amber eyes darkening, before turning, moving to join the rest of the students in the white uniforms, pausing only to say:
"You're scaring me, Mr. Prefect."
The brunet was facing the sliver-haired youth, with a slight mocking smile on his fine features. He was replied with a scowl.
The students in the white-uniforms had barely left when the sliver-haired boy turned to the screaming Day Class girls and shouted at them with a voice that could have rivaled thunder.
"… LISTEN UP!!! GET BACK TO YOUR DORMS BEFORE I BREAK YOU INTO SO MANY PIECES YOU'LL REGRET YOU WERE EVER HERE!!! MUST I ENDURE ALL YOUR SWOONING AND SCREAMING EVERY BLOODY DAMNED DAY!!!!!!"
He himself jerked to attention at the crude yet effective command.
The body of students quieted to a pregnant silence, before they all turned, running to their dorms.
The brunette sighed, setting hands on slim hips. She turned to the sliver-haired boy and playfully punched his back.
"Sheesh, Zero, you're late again! You useless jerk, where you were a moment ago when I needed you most!"
The Zero in his dream frowned, a small playful smirk threatening to break out on his handsome features.
"You're gonna get it from me later."
"Yeah right, as if!"
Zero stirred, lazily blinking as his vision focused, his brain still hazy as it tried to make sense of the dream he'd just had. The 'Zero' in his dreams seemed like a complete stranger. He rolled over, pushing himself up on his elbows, taking time to absorb his surroundings – the luxury he was surrounded by. This was going to take some getting used to. He looked over to the Kuran's bed, a myriad of questions that needed answers surfacing in the back of his mind, only to find it empty and made, almost as if the Kuran hadn't been there at all. Zero sighed, but slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom to clean up.
Bird (because Kaname and Zero couldn't think of a better name) chirped happily from its perch in the little white cage that Kaname had gotten ready, and Zero leaned in closer to smile.
The whole room smelled like Kuran-jerk, but strangely enough, it wasn't exactly unpleasant.
He knew that the Kuran was important, but he didn't really know how so.
…He also hadn't thanked him for saving him last night.
He sunk into the sofa, feeling like he could melt into it, when the door clicked open.
"Ah."
The Pureblood and the ex-prefect stared at each other for a moment, before Kaname looked away and made his way to the desk.
Kaname's voice broke the awkward silence between the two boys.
"I've already handled your paperwork, Kiryuu-kun. You'll be attending classes this coming Monday. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask them."
Zero frowned – he tried to think of some of the questions that had surfaced earlier about his dream, but somehow, they were all lost to him.
"You sound like a teacher."
Kaname didn't answer, but instead opened the first drawer on the left, withdrawing a black varnished wooden box from it, and set it lightly on the table. He then stared at the silver-haired boy until he got his attention.
"What?"
"Come over here, Kiryuu-kun."
Zero raised a fine eyebrow, but got up from his perch and made his way to where the Kuran was seated, a small look of curiosity taking over his features (as disinterested as he told himself to be).
In the black box, nestled in what looked like red velvet, was a silver gun.
The Kuran nudged the box toward the ex-hunter, a small unreadable expression on his perfect features.
Inexplicably, as if he had known this gun his entire life, Zero immediately recognized it.
"Bloody Rose."
It left his lips as a whisper, and as his fingers made contact with the metal the Kuran's face darkened.
"You recognize it, Kiryuu-kun?"
Zero didn't notice the change in the Kuran's demeanor, and replied, almost enthusiastically.
"Yes! I don't remember ever seeing this gun, but somehow, I know its name!"
The silver-haired boy started to laugh childishly, now swinging the gun around, fooling around with random poses.
Kaname's look softened a little, before leaning against the palm of his hand.
"Do you know what it does, Kiryuu-kun?"
"No idea. Well, it's a gun, so I guess it shoots people?"
"It's your gun, and yes, it shoots, but its main purpose is specific."
"What, does it kill mice?" The younger boy chuckled.
"No, Kiryuu-kun. It kills vampires."
The room fell silent once again, before Zero laughed, albeit shakily.
"Why're you putting a gun like this in my hands? I could kill you."
Zero had no doubt that the Kuran wasn't lying – Kuran Kaname hasn't lied to him at all so far, so why would he lie about something so important?
"But you won't."
Zero's lilac eyes trained on Kaname in slight surprise.
"What makes you so sure?"
Kaname returned with a smirk.
"You wouldn't be able to."
Zero's temper flared for an instant, an inexplicably natural urge surfaced – the urge to point the gun at Kuran and fire, but he held back.
"What makes you so great?" the younger boy huffed, turning away, putting the gun back into the black box with an attitude, glaring at the older boy.
"I'm a pureblood, Kiryuu. I'm practically royalty."
Zero didn't reply immediately, but conceded and eyed the Kuran silently.
"Well, you look it. Why're you bothering with a commoner like me then?"
"Because you're important to Yuuki."
Flashes of the dream from last night attacked his mind, and for some reason, Zero felt his heart sink a little, but he shook his head, ignoring the questioning look that gesture earned from the pureblood, the silver-haired boy made his way back to the sofa, throwing himself down on it.
"…Yuuki's important to you?" The name was still foreign on his lips.
"Yes. She's the most important person in my life."
There was no hesitance, no delay in the brunet's answer.
Zero didn't know why, but he felt extremely angry all of a sudden.
He got up, glaring at the pureblood, mumbling something about 'a walk', he had hardly reached the door when he felt a strong grip on his arm that surprised him enough to nearly punch the pureblood who was now standing behind him.
"What the hell, Kuran! Don't freak me out like that!" The pureblood didn't reply, but was holding the box out.
The distance between them was uncomfortably small.
Kaname could smell the younger boy's shampoo, which was disturbingly wonderful, and the warm breath that nearly reached his collar was secretly pleasant too. If he noticed the slight pinkish tinge on the younger boy's fair cheeks he didn't say anything. Kaname gathered himself before speaking.
"Take the gun with you, Kiryuu. I don't want a repeat incident of last night."
Zero's gaze hardened, and he snatched the gun from its case, before stalking out the door in silent fury, (the cause of which he was unsure of himself), tucking the gun in the waistband of his pants, he set off onto the school grounds.
He made it to the fountain just outside the dormitories, seating himself in front of it, he sighed. He didn't understand why his heart sank when the Kuran said that he cared only because of Yuuki.
She was the only reason he was helping him.
But what should it matter? It had nothing to do with one Zero Kiryuu, it was their business whether they wanted to get together or hate each other's guts, right? Besides, he only met the Kuran two nights ago! He shouldn't be caring about his personal affairs! He remembered the dream he had, recalling the way the two had interacted even in his dream, which somehow made him unhappy, he sighed unconsciously, a small frown on his face. It appeared to Zero that he was somehow in denial, it bothered him to know that Kuran cared for pretty much everyone although he didn't seem to, and that that stupid Cross girl was at the top of that list. Kuran-jerk made it sound as if there was absolutely no value in him, Kiryuu Zero, except for being someone important to Yuuki. The Kuran somehow managed to make it sound as if he was running a charity for Zero Kiryuus who lost their memories.
He let out a sound akin to a growl, before releasing his anger by firing a few rounds into the night air, chuckling morbidly as he heard the flutter of wings as birds took off in fright.
So Kiryuu Zero was to some point a sadist. So what?
He huffed again, seating himself on the ledge of the fountain. He remained that way for a while, listening to the sound of running water. He didn't hear the footsteps behind him.
"Kiryuu,"
The ex-hunter nearly jumped at the quiet voice, but collected himself quickly, before turning to eye the object of his unhappiness.
"Kuran(jerk)."
Kuran Kaname frowned, moving closer to the silver-haired boy, his footsteps lost in the sound of the running water.
"I'd appreciate you not interrupting classes by your gunfire, Kiryuu-kun. The others may think that something has…occurred." Amber eyes regarded the ex-prefect coolly. Lilac eyes faltered in return.
"I – I – Why do you care?"
Kaname smiled, now standing hardly a foot away from the ex-hunter.
"You forget I'm Dorm head?"
The silver-haired boy's eyes widened slightly, before looking away with slightly flushed cheeks, a small childish frown on his pouting lips. Kaname caught himself staring, and immediately tore his gaze away.
The pureblood seated himself beside the ex-hunter, an unreadable expression on his face.
Surprisingly, it was Zero who broke the silence.
"…Is that the only reason you're helping me?"
Kaname shot him a look, before letting out a soft sigh.
"Yes."
Something in Zero's eyes hardened at the brunet's answer, but the silence took over once again.
"Well, thank you then."
Zero stood, leaving the brunet alone at the fountain, not looking back as he made his way back into the dormitories, hiding the strange feeling in his chest.
It had been a week, and Zero had started classes – it wasn't easy getting used to the time change – he still had trouble staying up through the night sometimes, as well as waking up at intervals during the day. Surprisingly, the people in his classes were quite sociable, if not only diplomatically so, and he was actually making friends. He got along well with Akatsuki Kain, although being around him meant being around Aidou, Zero realized that Aidou really wasn't that much of an annoying, childish brat – he was actually really smart. The rest of the group accepted him rather fairly, Ichijou Takuma being the most enthusiastic, Senri Shiki and Tohma Rima didn't seem to mind him joining them at all, or rather, he fancied that they rather liked his company. He had taken a while to get Aidou's approval, when he had first arrived Aidou had refused to be in the same room as him, and Zero thought that it was maybe due to the character he had before he lost his memories, but as time passed, Hanabusa Aidou had somehow grown on him. He was really quite content with the group of people he had come to know as "friends", because he couldn't remember the ones he had before the "incident", as Kaname so liked to call it, if he even had any.
But there was one person who simply refused to associate with him at all. This person was none other than Souen Ruka, who he personally thought was quite pretty, but then again, so was the rest of the Night Class. She had outright iced him from the very first second he stepped into the classroom, shooting him dirty looks when he was just walking past, which annoyed Zero to some extent. But the thing was, she wasn't the only one.
Some of the rest of the Night Class had given him looks, some that clearly said that he didn't belong. He had overheard a random conversation while passing the common room.
"…filthy ex-human! Rooming with Kaname-sama, and actually having the guts to cling to Kaname-sama's inner circle…"
"…After all that he's claimed about his hate for us…Does he seriously think that we'd believe he'd forget something like that?"
Zero had stopped in his tracks, accidentally dropping his book on the floor, startling the two in the nearly deserted Home Room, who had merely looked down before scurrying off, brushing past him rather rudely.
Zero frowned, suppressing a growl, but bent to pick up his books. He rose to find Hanabusa Aidou's stunning eyes trained on him.
"Aidou."
The shorter vampire nodded in acknowledgement, a small frown on his handsome features, and he made his way nearer to the ex-hunter, almost cautiously.
"Aren't you angry?"
Zero raised an eyebrow, but a morbid smile was creeping over his lips.
Aidou waited patiently for him to reply, but he remained silent, now leaning against the closest wall.
"Of course I'm angry." Zero let the back of his head touch the wall as he leaned into it. Aidou's eyes remained on him.
"I have no fucking idea what they're talking about."
He really didn't. Did he really hate these people? If he did, why did he? What did they do to him? What happened in his past?
He picked up the scent of Hanabusa Aidou's coat a second later, and before he could react, Aidou was in his comfort zone.
The shorter boy's face was inches from his own.
"Then you should start finding out, Kiryuu."
The silver-haired boy bristled, glaring at the blond, pushing himself away from the wall and brushing past the other vampire, only to be stopped by a whisper.
"It's only right that you know what your past is."
He pushed open the door to find the curtains drawn and the lights off, suggesting that Kaname had yet to return, so he simply chucked his books on the tiny table next to his bed, before proceeding to throw himself on said bed. He let out a huge sigh, silently pondering exactly what kind of person he was before the "incident".
…Somehow he felt incomplete.
He felt stupid, insignificant, confused.
Was he half the person he was before? Like merely a shadow, without his memories?
What was he here for?
A click at the door derailed his darkening train of thoughts, and Kaname stood at the door, elegant hands unbuttoning the white school jacket and undoing his tie. There was relative silence as Kaname busied himself about the room, changing into something more comfortable. Neither of them really minded changing in front of the other, and Zero had secretly enjoyed this privilege, lilac eyes roaming along lean yet powerful lines, soft cream in colour. He secretly liked to watch the older boy's muscles ripple as he pulled off his shirt, pulling on a black button-on.
But Zero was more silent than usual today, and Kaname had turned to look at him.
Zero's surprised lilac eyes met suspicious auburn ones.
"…What's wrong?" Kaname's voice was low and soft, a little annoyed, but nothing along the lines of angry.
Zero didn't answer for a while, breaking the eye contact and staring at the carpet instead, he shrugged.
Kaname made his way to the desk, seating himself down, he proceeded to glare at the younger boy.
"What did you hear?"
Again, Zero's eyes snapped up to meet Kaname's, both in surprise and in awe – he had only known the older boy for barely more than a week, and he already knew Zero so well.
No, he's known you far longer than that.
Zero's body stiffened, before looking away from the Kuran.
"I…"
Zero's hands were clutched tightly together.
"It's none of your business."
Kaname didn't reply, but his gaze had softened, now propped up on an elbow.
Zero fell silent, as if he didn't know whether he should continue or not, moving to hug his pillow and bury his face in it, he decided not to speak anymore. Kaname regarded the slightly shorter boy fondly, as he would if the boy was a child. The older boy waited patiently.
"I don't know who I am."
Kaname didn't answer.
"I don't know who I really am – who I was before, who I am now. I'm just-"
"Does that matter, Zero?"
Zero looked up, meeting Kaname's gaze for a while, before looking down again.
"Easy for you to say, you're not the one who doesn't have a clue to how you've been living your whole life."
Kaname chuckled, but conceded.
"What matters is the present, isn't it?"
Zero didn't answer.
"The past is already over, and what's done is done – it can't be changed. If you're too caught up with your past then you won't have time for the present, or even the future."
He then proceeded to continue his paper work, but when he was finally getting serious with his work, a shadow loomed over the desk.
"But it bothers me, Kuran."
Kaname didn't reply again, but instead sifted through the paperwork on his desk.
"Tell me, Kuran."
Kaname didn't look up from his papers, the expression on his beautiful face darkening.
"It's not my place, Kiryuu-kun."
Zero's temper flared, and he slammed both fists on the mahogany desk, his normally pale lilac eyes burning into a violent violet.
"It's my right to know, Kuran. Now spit it out."
Kaname remained silent, but his garnet gaze now met the silver-haired boy's head-on, calmly, and stoically.
"I'm saying that I'm in no place to tell you anything."
The Kuran's tone was clipped, short and allowing no argument, as much as Zero wanted to retort.
"Please." The voice that left the ex-prefect's lips was soft, uncertain, weak.
Zero didn't realize, but something inside him was aching. He wouldn't admit it, but he trusted the Kuran. Even if he didn't exactly like him – he trusted him. He knew that Kaname wasn't helping out of his own goodwill; he knew he didn't mean anything to the older boy, but he still craved for some kind of response. He wanted Kaname to do something for him, Zero Kiryuu, not someone important to Yuuki Cross.
"Kiryuu-kun," Zero's knuckles were clenched so tight they were turning white.
"I've already told you-"
"That I mean absolutely nothing to you, that I'm only here because your magnanimous and loving self wanted to do Yuuki Cross a favour, I know!" Zero resisted the urge to flip the table, settling for simply pulling away and storming toward the door. But at the doorway he paused, refusing to face the Kuran, but speaking loud enough that he could hear him.
"It's my problem. I know."
The door slammed.
Kuran Kaname was left alone in his room, with a sinking feeling of guilt and a dull throb that he couldn't identify as he heard Zero's angry footsteps fade down the hall.
Thank you for reading! :D
-forbiddenist