continuation

He went back to his room and jumped under the covers, trying to catch some sleep in vain. Barely half an hour later, he heard a knock at his door and Cross's voice calling out to him.

"Zero! Are you awake?"

"Yeah… Come in…" Zero had an urge to ignore him but found nothing better to do. He did not seem like he was going to sleep in his restless state anyways.

"Sorry… I just woke up and remembered something that I needed to discuss with you. I will be going back to the association headquarter later, so I was wondering if now is a good time to talk."

The serious tone of the ex-hunter alarmed Zero who immediately scooted to sit at the edge of the bed, facing Kaien who took the liberty to use the desk chair.

"It is fine… What is the matter?" he asked worriedly

Cross gave him a faint smile "Oh! You don't have to be so alarmed, Zerorin! You might take what I am about to say as good news, even if it is not the case for me."

Silver thin brow twitched at the hateful way Cross called him but he did not comment on it. He nodded for his adoptive father to continue talking.

"Well… As you know, Takamiya-kun will be coming back next week after submitting the last report of his mission. There were some change of plans, and the kid he is in charge of will not come until next summer, but Takamiya-kun will resume his duty at Cross Academy nonetheless."

Zero's mouth formed an 'oh' shape. It was nothing new to him that Kaito was coming back, but then, it clicked.

"Wait! Resume his duties? Not long ago, Gin told me you signed a permanent contract with him, which means that he took over Kaito's teaching position. Aren't going to get overstaffed in term of Ethic teachers?" Zero explained, frowning at the lack of managerial skill the old man was showing, then added "or is he going to take over Yuki's shifts?"

"None of those…" Cross stated.

"What do you mean?"

"Takamiya-kun will be taking your position as the acting chairman. He already did it once before, so he is used to the mechanism."

Zero perked at the news "Oh! That is awesome, I am finally going to be free of this house arrest and resume my life as it should be."

Cross gave a sad pout "Could you please not sound so happy about leaving home?"

"Old man! I am happy to be rid of your outdated system of managing this school and the headache that comes with it. Not to mention the fact that I have not gone on hunting mission in over a month. I feel like I am starting to have withdrawal symptoms from not killing any bloodsuckers." Zero explained, grinning as the excitement to get back in action started bubbling.

Cross smiled at that "Well! Glad to hear that. Don't worry, you will sure get more action than just disposing of few level Es this time."

"Does that mean you have lead on who is smuggling the pureblood laced pills?" Zero inquired

"Not yet! But we have more urgent matter that need investigation."

"Like what?"

"Disappearance of sixteen hunters over the last couple of months."

Zero's eyes widened "sixteen?"

"Seven of whom worked in the headquarter, four were retired, and the rest from various branches across the country."

"Wait! Why would retired hunters disappear?"

"We have no clue Zero! All we know is that these hunters never made it back from assigned missions and that the family of those retired hunters filed MIA. All of them disappeared without a trace of anything, it does not show that they were in a fight, their houses does not contain any evidence of break in or the possibility that they packed and left" Cross explained, exasperation evident in his voice.

"And how does that relate to me?"

"Well… At first, we suspected that they might have joined the rogue hunters faction. However, their record and history of personal testaments showed that they are individuals that are strongly approving of the coexistence and displayed great effort in helping achieve it. They are among the squads that captures the enlisted vampires alive in order to conduct experiments on instead of inflicting the capital punishment on the spot. As you know, those kind of mission are taken by volunteers and never forced on anyone because of the high risk. The hunters who mysteriously vanished have a heavy record of engaging in this kind of mission, which get us to conclude that they have not gone rogue… When the investigation reached a dead end and our intelligence department could not find any lead, we requested the assistance of an outstanding third party with the widest information network so far." Cross paused to meet Zero's eyes

"And?"

"Request denied…" he answered with a dejected tone.

"Who is this piece of work who would not lend a hand to save our colleagues?"

Cross hesitated before delivering in a hushed whisper "Ichiru-kun?"

"OH!" Zero locked his jaw and nodded slowly, understanding the situation.

"And that is where you come into the picture…"

"I think I am starting to see your dilemma… yes…" Zero pondered as he rubbed the back of his neck. This is going to be a pain in the ass!

"Please! Zero! Help us convince him. Ichiru is very whimsical and only takes on jobs he is interested in and he tends to turn cold hearted whenever the hunters are involved, which put me in a fix because none of the other informants seems to find a lead."

Zero could not blame his brother for being cold toward them "Very well! I will see what I can do, but I can't promise anything. Especially after that low stunt Jinmu-san pulled yesterday."

"Tell me about it! That man seems to enjoy riling up unnecessary tension."

Zero rolled his eyes, "Someone remind me why I actually kept him in association. I should have kicked his sorry ass a long time ago."

"That would be because he delivers good result on the missions assigned to him and remained loyal despite his own personal prejudice." Cross explained in a bored robotic tone "besides, we were short on staff and we could make use of every functioning hunter at that time."

Zero nodded in approval.

The ringing phone of the Chairman interrupted their discussion. After talking and hanging up, he smiled brightly at his son "Toga-chan made it there safely and is on his way to the hospital."

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Meanwhile, Kaname was going through some paperwork on his desk after his shower. The heavy door clicked open to reveal a drowsy Yuki wobbling her way inside the study until she reached her brother's seat. Kaname reached out to the hand she extended and rubbed her cheek with the other.

"Is something wrong? Yuki?" he inquired. What is with everyone coming in weird states today?

"mmm?... Nothing… Just Ai-chan being a pain" Yuki moaned in annoyance as she rubbed her stomach "I was having a good sleep and she decided to play gymnastic and kickboxing at the same time"

Kaname chuckled at the weird description but still pitied her as he could feel the strong kicks when he placed a palm on her pregnant belly.

"Stop laughing, Nii-san! It is not funny. I really want to sleep some more and you are the one with the magic touch, so can you do something about it?" Yuki pleaded with teary eyes.

"Alright! Make yourself comfortable I will come in a moment." The brunet stood up from his seat after gathering the papers in a pile. Yuki scurried to the bedroom and slipped under the covers waiting for him.

It was not unusual for Yuki to get irritated because of lack of sleep and the energy seeping away from her due to the pregnancy. A remedy for that is a mix of herbs that her doctor prescribed, it generally helps calm the overactive baby so that she can get proper rest and replenish her energy for drinking blood only will not cut it.

Kaname waited for the hot water to come to a boiling point before proceeding to the preparation of the drink. Once done, he dropped few drops of his blood in the steamy mug and headed to the bedroom. Because of various criminal attempt on Yuki's life and the baby's at the time that Kaname was in the ice coffin, Zero took it upon himself to cook her meal and prepare her medicines and supplements. The role was later delegated to Kaname who is in charge of her medication and Gin's sister who is in charge of her meals. The ex-human would go as far as taste anything that she did not personally prepare (Yuki's cravings for junk food); to make sure it was not poisoned. Yuki never liked the fact that the woman was putting her life at risk but there was no one who could change her mind.

Yuki gratefully accepted the drink and started sipping carefully as not to burn her tongue. The woman almost chocked when Kaname stripped his top garment.

"Mou… Onii-sama! You could at least give me heads up before stripping like that! Gosh!"

"Be grateful that I am not sleeping in the nude…" Kaname teased, making her face go redder than a tomato. He joined her in the bed, parted his legs and folded his knees up. On cue, Yuki scooted over and made herself comfortable in the makeshift seat her brother's body made. Kaname placed his hands on her belly and started rubbing soothing circles while humming a lullaby. Both mother and baby relaxed at the rich smooth voice the reverberated close to them, it never failed to amaze Yuki how fast Ai tend to still her movement and seems to fall asleep a soon as she hears her father's crooning. That was the magic touch that no one seemed able to pull other than Kaname, not even the medicine she was drinking (which takes a while to work).

Once her daughter calmed down, Yuki's attention shifted to the dryness in the back of her throat, realizing belatedly that she neglected to drink the proper amount of blood with Kaname nowhere to remind her about it. Thus, she craned her head to give him a sheepish smile "I think I am kind of thirsty! I appreciate the blood you mixed in the drink, but…uhm…"

"You don't have to be shy about saying that it was not enough, although that would mean that the blood bags I left you were meaningless" Kaname reprimanded jokingly.

Yuki blushed at being caught red-handed "Gomen… I tend to forget myself when I don't feel thirsty"

"Yeah! But I do not need to remind you that it is not just you who needs it…"

"Hai… Hai… Understood! Can I?" She asked for permission while her hand clutched the thicker wrist laying on top of her stomach.

"Of course you can! Just be careful, you know the drill!"

"I know" She smiled and tipped her head back in his initial position. Her eyes morphed red and fang erected as Kaname brought his wrist closer to her parting lips, his other hand patting the little head in front of him to urge her. He pressed his lips together and his brows twitched when a pair of fangs embedded themselves in his bleeding wrist, then relaxed listening to Yuki taking continuous gulps while he caressed her head. She must have been Really thirsty!

His eyebrow quirked suddenly and his eyes flickered red for a second. That is when Yuki groaned and pulled her fangs out, pressing her fingers on her temples "OUCH! Nii-san! That was sooo mean!" teary sienna eyes looked back at wine orbs with a victimized look. Her head pounded from the Zapping sensation that rippled though it.

"You know you deserved that, little peeping tom!" Kaname warned.

Yuki puffed her cheek, looked away from him as she leaned her back on his chest, and crossed her arms around her own, sulking.

"We already agreed on this Yuki and I taught you how to not peek into the other's memory of thoughts when drinking from them." Kaname lectured as he placed his chin on the tiny squared shoulder, tickling her by talking close to her ear.

"I know! Sorry… it is just that…" Yuki trailed…

"Just what?"

"Something felt different…"

"Hmm…"

"These past few weeks, onii-sama's blood tasted different." Yuki explained, not noticing the flinch of Kaname at her assumption

"How different?"

"Dunno! If I had to explain it, maybe the sensation I get from drinking it… It was something akin to having a good feeling, like you were in high spirits… You know the feeling you get when you are having a good time… That is the sensation I got, which was different from the usual loneliness that seeps in." Yuki pondered, lacing her fingers together in observation.

"That is a very keen sense of taste you have there." Kaname was astonished at how sharp her senses were, it is true that he was having a great time in his chase after Zero and then their encounter etc…

"But today, there is this weird bitterness… Did something bad happen?" Yuki craned her head back again to show him her eyes filled with concern.

Kaname smiled and ruffled her curls before reassuring her "None… don't worry, that is probably because you came just when I was working on some irritating papers… I was glad for the excuse to take a break from them, but maybe the irritation persisted in my subconscious. Sorry for making you worry! However that is still not an excuse for you trying to peek into my thoughts." He reprimanded again, earning a goofy look from his sister at being caught again, this time a teasing tongue out and giggle.

"So… Care to tell me what made you happier the last few days, not that I am complaining… I have one less person to worry about which is great."

"Nothing in particular! Maybe, it is the thought that my baby girl will grace me with her presence soon…" Kaname swiftly dodged the interrogation.

"Well, don't get your hopes up! I swear if by the next appointment, the doctor tells me that I am not ready to go into labor yet, I might send him into oblivion." Yuki growled.

"Please don't! that doctor has been taking care of our family since his great grandfather's generation."

"I know! I know! But, I did not sign up for more than five years of pregnancy when I discovered it, and I am quite close to the five years mark, like in a few days. Nonetheless, he had this smug look on his face when he told me that I still have a month to go, at least. Can you imagine? As if I do not have enough on my plate already. Even my daughter does not seem like she wants to pop out and give her mommy a break."

Kaname could not help but laugh, even though he sympathized with her "Well, she feels to comfortable to leave, it seems… Speaking of full plates, shouldn't we lighten it up by finally discussing that matter we have been pushing off for a while? You know the arrangement after Ai's birth, about us." Kaname talked tentatively, knowing that Yuki might not be in the mood for any deep discussion, and he was right for she immediately groaned.

"Sorry Onii-sama, but can we postpone the talk after Ai's birth. I really am too overwhelmed to discuss anything that apparently seems to be far in the future than I already thoughts. Not to forget that my mood swings might lead to this conversation taking weird direction that I will come to regret later." She pleaded and then sighed in relief when Kaname dropped the issue.

"Speaking of current issues, Ruka-chan made fun of me today about giving up the penthouse and taking the unit below. She can be mean sometime."

"I actually agree with her." Kaname defended the noble vampire's idea "I told you it was unreasonable for me to take that huge space and for you to have an apartment half the size as our home. It would have been fine if I took the unit as my office space."

"Well! I don't think so! It is too fancy and big for me to live in. besides, it really lack the cozy, homey feel I am looking to build, so no thank you. I don't want to live in such a huge space. Besides, it is not as if the other units are small. Heck! They are bigger than father's house and can house a football team in one of them with ease. More importantly, the penthouse suits you the best, you can use it for work, for when you need your private space and you can even hold you meetings or work events there if you felt like it."

Kaname laughed at how desperate Yuki was in trying to convince him that she did not want the luxury he was offering. "Alright! You win! I will gratefully be the owner of the penthouse. Happy!"

Yuki nodded furiously, relieved to have closed the debate.

"Although…" Kaname added "I am surprised that Cross-san actually bought the one right across the hall from yours. I don't see the need for him to purchase one when his house is barely five minutes' walk away from the condominium. Then again, if given the choice, he would be living with you under the same roof just to be close to his daughter and grand-daughter, which he didn't out of respect for me." Kaname teased, expecting a string of complains that never came. He peered on Yuki's face to see a concerned expression.

"Yuki?"

"That unit might become the bane of my existence!" the doom in her voice spooked Kaname who laughed it off.

"You don't have to be that dramatic; it is not bad to have him as a neighbor."

"The problem is that he is not going to live there."

"…"

"That is the other issue bugging me and I don't know how to deal with it." Yuki sighed louder than usual

"Want to talk about it?"

"Actually… I had a small talk with father before he leaves for the association; Yagari-san was present as well… He kind of assigned me a domestic mission concerning that apartment" the seriousness of Yuki's voice and the way she twisted to face Kaname completely got the male pureblood puzzled.

"The thing is, father wants me to convince Zero to live there, as in move there… as his permanent residence in cross academy. The deed is in his name."

Red-brown eyes widened at the news "Oh!"

"Oh? That's it… That is all you have to say… Kaname, this is the biggest crisis of my life… it scares me more that my fucking labor!" Yuki whined punching the mattress in frustration.

"Language!"

"Whatever!"

"Why is it a dilemma? Do you not want Kiryuu-kun to live next door?" Kaname asked… I thought they are on better term now?

"NO! of course I want him to, it is my greatest wish to have him back, living close by where I can see him every day like we used to when we were kids. I want that! Badly!" the petite woman explained eagerly.

"So what is the problem?"

"The problem is Zero himself. Can you imagine him living in a condominium filled with vampires? Can you imagine him sleeping peacefully with his hunter senses going haywire?"

"I see your point! It would be difficult for him to live with vampires seeing his temperament. However, you can win the argument by the fact that the building is not ordinary. You know how it is laced with hunter and vampire magic that will allow a high amount of privacy for each resident. That is the point of building it in the first place." Kaname explained

"I know! Still, moving a mountain seems much easier to me than convincing Zero to move in here. He is the most stubborn being on earth, and he is getting worse as the years goes by." Her tiny shoulder slumped in defeat

"I agree on that…" Kaname nodded in approval. Yuki looked at him, amused

"I am happy you are willing to listen to my rambling, onii-sama."

"Why would I not"

"Nuhuh… It is just that we have been so busy, it has been a while since we sat and talked about our worries and such."

"Now that you mention it! It has indeed been a while."

"Alright! In case, I manage by some miracle to convince Zero to live in that condominium which would be the happiest day of my life after Ai's birth. Can you promise me that you two would not blow up the building just by the coincidence of taking the same elevator? I know that Zero has temper issues but you have your fair share of provoking him as well."

Kaname winced at the request; it was a promise difficult to make especially after the squabble he just had with the hunter. He tapped his long fingers on his knees before answering in defeat "I promise I will try my best!"

"Great! Now all that is left is to wait for Zero to feel better and discuss the matter with him."

"What do you mean feel better?"

"You know, emotionally…"

"Is he upset about something?" The pureblood tried to gouge is the hunter was still irritated at the way they ended their conversation. However, a little part of him wished that he had the slightest bit of regret for riling him up.

"I dunno but he probably is. I mean… Zero always had this bad habit of bottling things inside and not showing his inner turmoil… So, even if he is sad or suffering, he is not the type to show it or say it. Instead, he tend to take out his frustration on the weirdest things. It is getting worse lately because he does not even confide in Ichiru anymore… I don't know how he is dealing with the stressful situation of Yagari-san anymore nor do I know how I can help him through it. Yesterday for example, he was sitting with us like a status and then he went up to his room only to end up running out of the house to god knows where and he was not back by the time we fell asleep… Now he is cooped up in his room the whole day…"

Yuki's rambling was abruptly stopped by Kaname uncharacteristically face palming himself.

"Onii-sama?" Yuki tilted her head in confusion…

"Sorry, never mind… I just realized something stupid…"

"What is it?" Yuki insisted

"That I am becoming an impulsive and immature person lately"

Yuki blinked few times before breaking in a fit of giggle "that is a good one, I would never peg you for an immature person but impulsiveness is certainly a fault you tend to have"

Kaname blocked out Yuki's voice as he rewinded the happening of the day. He could not believe how inconsiderate he had been. Of course Zero would be unstable seeing that he had to see his mentor off. Of course he would be off the rail when he discovers that Kaname, whom he just started to trust, hiding fact from him that would make him more glad than angry. The image of how Zero showed up in his bedroom, feet covered in mud and lightly dressed in sleepwear struck him again. He finally understood the reason behind it. Zero was in some sort of trance, he was lost, lonely, sad and the hunter was extremely bad at channeling his emotions when overwhelmed. Now that he stopped to think about it, Kaname realized how similar the situation was to when Zero discovered Yagari's condition. Like that time, the hunter sought him out, asked him to keep company which he would normally never do and by the end made a move on him in an effort to run away from the saddening reality. The situation was eerily similar and pattern was almost identical, save for the little hope that his mentor might survive. How blind can your own pride make you, Kuran Kaname! In his own twisted way, Zero was asking for comfort, it was his own way to call for help. Damnit!

His Inner thoughts were interrepted by Yuki's tapping on his knees "Did you hear what I just said, onii-san" she asked excitedly.

"Sorry! I did not catch that"

"I made a new discovery today. Can you believe that Kaito had the nerves to hide that he is in a relationship for quite some time now. He did not say with who, but I will get him to fess up soon enough when he comes back. Okay then… Now that Ai is behaving I will be retiring to my room, I am sure you took enough break time from that irritating paperwork and you need to get back to it…" Yuki winked and left her pureblood brother on his own. She figured that he needed his privacy judging from the distant look and the restless aura that started to seep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back at Cross's house, Kaito and Zero were sitting at the kitchen table having a very late breakfast, they had a lot to catch up and a lot to plan, so the two usually non-talkative men were absolute chatterbox, as if trying to distract themselves from any awkward silence. After finishing the discussion about the missing hunters and Kaito agreeing to help convince Ichiru, the brown haired hunter latched on the next topic that was gnawing at him.

"So, tell me! How is it going with that well hung sex god you have been banging lately, got bored of him yet?" Kaito whispered his question out of caution that Cross would not be lurking around eavesdropping.

"Nah~ it seems that the opposite happened." Zero answered flatly, hating the fact that Kaito chose to probe at a sore spot that is Kaname Kuran.

"What! You seriously fell for the guy?" the unexpected conclusion made Zero choke on his drink.

"The fuck! I said the opposite of what you said, I am not the one who got bored, and he did." This revelation led the Kaito's eyes bulging out.

"Wow! There is a someone out there who can actually resist your charm. That's new"

"Thank for not rubbing it."

"Come on! It is good to have one or two rejection in your life, nobody is perfect." Kaito tried comforting him with a tap on the shoulder. "You are better off without his shit anyways. Even if he has a boyfriend or a girlfriend, it is still a risky affair. Not as risky as a marital affair but still risky nonetheless."

Zero stiffened for a moment and Kaito caught it. "Zero?"

The silver hunter sipped on his coffee, trying to ignore the suspicious gaze of his friend.

"No~" Kaito spoke in disbelief.

"What?" Zero asked innocently.

"You did not have an affair with a married man Zero, tell me you did not." Kaito whispered in a biting tone with his facial muscle going stiff to keep himself from screaming.

"I did" Zero finally admitted, although he is not married by law, but mated vampires are still considered married.

"Tell me he does not have children" Kaito inquired, trying to soften the blow on himself.

"He is expecting his firstborn soon" Zero deadpanned, rolling his eyes in annoyance "It does not matter now that it is over."

"You bet your ass it is over" Kaito whispered angrily between gritted teeth as he pulled on Zero's collar to pull him closer "What the fuck were you thinking you dumbass… fooling around with a father… Firstborn you say? Meaning that they are newlywed couple… that is even more sick… You listen to me and you listen to me carefully… even if he comes back to you, you are not to see him again… I don't give a fuck if he was in a relationship that was not going well, but he is married, meaning he is committed to a future with that woman and there is the happiness of a child in the game. No matter how heartless I might be I will never accept you seeing this man if you want us to remain friends. As the one who was fucked up enough to suggest you see him again previously, I am telling you that if I suspect that you are still doing it, I will kick your ass to the dirt and you can kiss our friendship goodbye. Understood!" Kaito finally let go and pushed Zero back on his chair.

Zero let out breathy chuckle before gulping down the rest of his coffee, "Well, buddy! What I do, who I fuck, what I choose is my decision to make. I decide if I want to have him back or not based on what I want. No one, and I say no one has the right to interfere with my life as I do not interfere with others. To put your mind at ease, seeking your advice is not what made me decide to see the person again. Even if you told me not to do it, I would have not went along because I made my decision, and I realized what I want to do. So if you want to end our friendship because of your newly acquired set of monogamy principles, go ahead. I have nothing to lose, everything to win. Starting from on less nagging machine under my head." He slammed his mug on the table and stood up to leave as Kaito was speaking.

"Does Ichiru know about this!"

"No!"

"How do you think he would react if he learns about it."

"See if I care"

"How do you think Sensei would react if he learns of this foolish behavior of yours" Kaito screamed to make sure Zero heard him loud and clear. And he sure did. From the door, he turned with a deadly glare on his face and snarled at the sitting hunter. "That is a low blow, Kaito. Too low even for you, but then again, my answer is the same. See if I care!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Zero did not know how he made it to his bedroom. He was clutching his tightening chest, trying to ease the burning as he was hyperventilating. He dropped to his knees at the edge of his bed, clutching the sheet as he opened his mouth in silent scream. His body tenser than ever, His eyes glistening with the tears that fell uncontrollably, not knowing if they fell due to lack of oxygen or from the anguish he was feeling. He could not wrap his mind around anything, all he could feel was intense rage, anguish, and anger about everything and anything. Today was just a shitty day for the silver hunter, he was feeling as if everything around him was falling apart, as if the very foundation of his sanity was shattering. It all started with the roller coaster of the rushed departure of his mentor that still did not feel real to him, then his fight with Kaname, and the cherry on top was the biting words coming from the last person he expected to hear them from, Kaito.

In a fit of anger, Zero yanked the covers and threw them away, then swooped everything that was on top of the cabinet, desk and nightstands to the floor in a frenzy before collapsing to the floor on his knees, his hands falling to his sides and eyes empty as they looked at the window, unblinking with tears falling continuously.

Someone should just wipe me away from existence.

"I did not agree to embrace you for you to cry later, what is the use of bending my will then?" Zero startled at the unexpected voice coming from the dark corner of the room. He did not bother turning around as he recognized it quite well even if its owner camouflaged his presence very well.

"Was it entertaining to watch me break down, Kaname?" He whispered. His voice painfully scratchy

"Not in the least" Was the last thing the pureblood said before he approached Zero and squatted in front of him. Kaname felt a pang in his chest at the amount of hurt and agony reflected in the lonely violet eyes of the hunter that was still staring at the window, not seeing the man crouching in front of him.

To be continued!

Reviews please!