Make sure to read chapter 28, I posted them together.
∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞ Back in the hotel suite∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
"Unbelievable!" The woman repeated the word that she has been saying since forever. Zero rolled his eyes, even with his fogged mind, he still felt irritated.
"Here I am, a sexy desirable woman, throwing myself at him and what is the first thing that comes out of his mouth, 'May I ask you to look after my partner here while I go report the end of our mission?'. Just… Unbelievable!"
Zero groaned again. He felt like begging her to just leave, but no she has to stick around and follow the orders of the man she is mocking. I could never understand their concept of blind loyalty! Beside, the attribute desirable is debatable for a woman who actually carried me up to this room instead of being lady-like and ask for assistance from a bellboy or something.
"Julia-san! I believer that you are aware that your pureblood king is mated and expecting a heir soon."
The woman looked at him and shrugged, "So what? It is not like he cannot have concubines. Most pureblood do not stick with one and only. A lot of other worthless women are flocking around him for a chance to the title."
I remember Kaname telling me something about this. How retarded.
Zero sighed, "Well… I do not know about others, but I am sure about one thing. Your attire and your way of carrying yourself will not get you any close to that man." he intended for it to be a sarcastic remark, but the woman suddenly perked and sat beside him on the bed. Curiosity was written all over her face.
"Then you know a way to actually attract his attention?" She beamed
"Why the hell should I know that kind of thing?" Zero bellowed, wincing as a bout of heat coursed through his body. Shit! this is getting worse by the minute.
"Bummer… Of course you wouldn't, it is not like he would sleep with a D, let alone a hunter." Zero groaned in frustration, You don't know what you are missing there.
"Why are you so obsessed with him anyways… Stop being a brat and look around… I am sure there are plenty of other men who are dying to have a chance with you." Zero finally snapped, unable to take anymore whining.
"That is so rude! A brat… I am a perfectly grown up woman." She shrieked while standing upright, lifting her chin as if to look down on Zero.
The hunter however did not fall for the act… He gave her a knowing smirk. "Only a brat would react that badly to being called a brat… Brat!" If there is one thing Zero learned well from Kaito, then that is the art of bullying.
"How dare you… Just to clear things up, I am already twenty-two years old!" The noble placed her hands on her wide hips, puffing her chest to appear confident.
"A grown up woman would hate to reveal her actual age though" Zero shrugged innocently, enjoying the distraction.
"What…I…Uhm" she stuttered
"Fine… I will believe you if you tell me the year you were born." Zero smirked.
"Nineteen… eighty.."
" tick tock… too long to answer, you are calculating and it should have been nineteen ninety three" Zero dealt the final blow with a victorious smile. "Now out with it… How old are you! 10" he gave an exaggerated estimation to rile her up even more.
"You Jerk, I am twenty"
"Liar…"
"eighteen…"
"hard to believe…"
"seventeen…"
"Why does it sound so wrong?"
"Okay sixteen and stop doing that…" She balled her fist and stomped in frustration as Zero chuckled.
"Doing what? It is not my fault if you are a bad liar... You are too transparent to the point that I know sixteen is still not the real answer."
The girl looked down, before glancing at Zero and muttering the shocking revelation "Fourteen!"
"Holy Crap!" Zero blinked few times in amazement at how developed the girl for her age.
"I know I am a cow…" she grumbled
"What?"
"That is what everyone call me because… I am tall and have …. this" she added pointing to her generous breast…
Zero took pity on the girl when he understood that she was bullied by those of her age…
"What are you doing here… I don't the party allow minors…"
She paled at that but relaxed when she saw the gentle expression on Zero's face… She somehow felt comfortable around him and decided to let her worries out.
"I am… uhm… They say that I will turn into an old hag when I grow up…. And that no one will marry me… So…"
"So you decided to find a husband while still beautiful…" Zero continued, chuckling at the simple mind of the child despite her mature appearance.
Her eyes widened and the fair skin turned scarlet "What?"
The reaction caught Zero by surprise…
"You think I am beautiful?" she asked in disbelief… It has to be the first time anyone complemented her sincerely after knowing her actual age.
Zero smiled at the innocence suddenly transparent in her big eyes "Yes, and-"
Kaname suddenly barged through the door, stopping his irritated walk when he noticed that the woman was still around. "You can leave, I will handle the rest." he ordered.
Just as Julia was about to close the door, Zero called out, "Julia… What they told you is not true… You will become even more stunning to the point of turning head wherever you go… Just be patient and enjoy everything at the right time."
The noble woman gave a shy smile and bid them farewell.
Kaname looked at Zero after she left, "What was that about?"
"Nothing~" Zero grinned at the puzzled expression of the pureblood, before barking at him "Anyways, what were you thinking, vanishing like that without explanation?"
Kaname sighed… He could see that Zero was not getting any better and have holding back because of the nuisance he left him. He joined him on the bed and started removing the wig and pins until the silver hair was freed in messy strands. Kaname brought a warm towel that he used to remove as much make up as he could. He then carefully helped the hunter in removing the lenses since Zero's hands were too shaky to risk poking his eyes out.
"I went to check if he had an antidote to calm you down." he spoke calmly.
"And?" Zero looked at him expectantly.
"Nothing." Kaname did not wish to see the dejected look on the hunter.
"I don't get it… It is not getting any better… I feel so hot I might combust…" Zero complained in a strained voice, "Maybe I should take more pills…"
Kaname held his wrist as he reached for the case, "Did take more after I left?" he asked worriedly.
the pureblood almost plucked his bangs when Zero nodded because of his carelessness. "They make it worse… you are not to take any for now…"
Zero complained non-stop about it and just as he was about to go to the bathroom in order to relieve himself, he crumbled to the floor, not finding any strength left in his body.
He finally allowed Kaname to cradle him on the bed, after removing all his clothes that seemed to burn his already heated skin. Now, with his back rested against Kaname's chest, his leg spread wide on his lap with both of them facing the same direction, Kaname started stroking him in order to relieve him of the painful sensation even a little bit. Zero's head fell back in the crook of his neck as he shuddered from a first strong release, leaving him weaker then ever. The pureblood tried to maintain a level-head, even with the puffs of breath tickling his sensitive neck and the sweet moans escalating from the hunter's lips.
He lost count of how many times Zero released until the still engorged flesh of the hunter started hurting judging from the sobbing of the helpless silverette. "Kaname..ugh…haaah… Please! not that…" Zero pleaded helplessly as his body refused to obey him…
"What is it Zero, tell me?" Kaname whispered as he kissed a sweaty temples.
"Inside… put it in…"
Kaname groaned for the thousands time… He knew that Zero could feel his clothed erection poking his back, but he did not want to take him this way. This was certainly not the after party he was looking forward to. Thus, he opted to use his fingers. As soon as the finger probed his entrance, a sudden release racked the hunters body, so Kaname kept going on like that. Soon enough, the silver beauty refused the digits and Kaname's lust came to its peak.
The look Zero gave him with the teary glassy eyes, puffed lips and flushed face while pleading him caused his undoing. He chuckled at the hunter's remark when he finally placed him on the bed and positioned himself between his parted shaky legs. "I have had my fucking share of fingering to last me a life time… Just fuck me for real already…"
Zero gulped upon seeing Kaname's hardened flesh jutting, sexily snuggled out of his pants and boxers. Kaname could not help but let out a breathy chuckle at the hungry look that Zero was giving him. Without further ado, he lifted the calves over his shoulder and slid the lubed condom he took form his wallet before slowly entering the eager silverette. Zero whimpered at the slow torture and Kaname grunted at the sensation from the hunter clamping down on him more than ever.
Wine met violet one more time before their frenzied debauchery started for the rest of the night.
∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞ The next morning ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
*Sound of water trickling*
"Haaa… Some aphrodisiac that was…" Zero sighed, His eyes puffed red from crying too much and cheeks equally reddened. His lips were visibly swollen, but that was nothing compared the chafing of his inner thigh, which stung badly when Kaname lowered him into the warm bathtub. He was still feeling numb and unable to move properly let alone walk by himself, so the pureblood graciously offered to bath him. They were after all both covered in their sticky release.
Zero let out yet another sigh as Kaname brought some water on his shoulder and caressed it. "We are lucky the bath is big enough for both of us to sit comfortably…"
"Uhuh…" Kaname hummed his affirmation while leaning back on the edge after securing Zero on his lap once again.
"Are you still bothered, Kaname?" Zero asked as he relaxed and tilted his head to glance at the pureblood. Kaname cracked on eye open and shrugged while holding his temple "Not really… Just reflecting…"
Zero chuckled "Stop being such a drama queen…"
The pureblood reached a hand to mess with the wet silver locks as he exhaled, "It is not funny, I felt like I was almost breaking you back there… It was careless of me not to realize that the aphrodisiac was the topical substance he used to… you know… I should have sensed that I was affected as well."
It was now Zero's turn to shrug "Well, you certainly went wild back there… I can't believe that we finished the whole pack of condom… pfff"
"Yeah and finished few more rounds without as well… Geez, this a first for me to actually feel my hips aching…" Kaname complained
"You don't know the half of it… I can still fucking feel you inside me…" Zero commented offhandedly, they were certainly in a pinch because they cannot consume any form of blood until the drug wear off. Although Zero has it much worse.
"Ehem… You really should not say that while in this kind of position." Kaname teased as he bend over and hugged Zero tightly, placing his chin on his shoulder. "Are you sure you will be okay… I mean, I know I made sure nothing got inside but-"
"No worries about that… Aido actually gave me a handy new pill for this kind of situation." Kaname could not help the slight disappointment he felt hearing that.
He started shampooing the silver hair when he muttered the words, "Nah… Zero… What would you do if I accidently got you pregnant"
The hunter laughed, wanting to look at the pureblood face but he had to keep his eyes shut. "Don't worry, I won't ask you to take responsibility or anything… Don't start getting paranoid on me, big guy…haahahah… I never expected this question, really." He took a deep breath to calm his giggle "Well, if, god forbid that ever happened, I would go for an abortion like any other time… The last thing I need is a child, and it would make things worse if it was yours… What pride would I have left if word get out that the king of vampires knocked me up…" Zero did not notice the way Kaname's hand slowed down, nor was he able to see the hurt expression on his face, so he continued talking nonchalantly, "Anyways~ you really did a great job with my outfit and make over, that man was totally fooled by it… Kaname?"
"Um… It was not that big of a deal."
"I somehow figured you would say something like that… Ouch! damn it"
"What? The tickling? again?" Kaname asked
"It fucking feels like ants crawling under my skin… it's the right shoulder blade." Zero complained.
"That is an interesting way to describe it." Kaname chuckled while placing his palm on the spot Zero confirmed, a soft red glow shone and disappeared when the hunter sighed in relief. "It is good though… the sensation… At least, the paralyzing drug is wearing off." Zero nodded.
"Ah!" Kaname made a sound as if he remembered something.
"What?"
"Keiichi…" the pureblood surprised Zero by saying the name of a kid totally unrelated to the situation.
"What about him?"
"Since yesterday, I was thinking that you reminded me of someone in that disguise. You were like the feminine grown up image of Keiichi." Kaname explained
Zero stiffened for a second, "You think so? I don't really see the resemblance."
"I can't really pinpoint it but I just got the impression…"
"You are quite smitten by the kid, aren't you? Going as far as providing him with your life energy." Zero teased.
Kaname chuckled, "Well… He kind of stole it at first, every chance he got… I had to give in when faced with his cute roundabout ways of asking for it… I have to admit, that child is quite peculiar."
"Don't worry… The same will apply to your daughter." Zero deadpanned
"No. I was not talking about his behavior. I was talking about his very existence." Kaname explained.
"What do you mean?" Zero inquired
"You see… During the time I was finalizing his adoption paperwork, I was trying to dig up everything related to his birth but ended up with dead ends every time."
"How come? Didn't Ichiru explain the circumstance of his birth?"
"He did, but some things don't add up. Close your eyes." Kaname instructed as he brought the water to rinse the shampoo off the silver hair before resuming his talk "You see, the woman they pointed to as a mother was indeed an ex-human who was turned by Rido. The time of the death and everything else fits. That is why I did not give much thought to the matter back then."
Zero adjusted himself on the pureblood lap, thinking of a way to stir the conversation in another direction, as he did not like where it was heading.
"My curiosity peaked when I looked over his medical record. First, are you aware that Keiichi is much older than he looks?"
Zero nodded, "Aido said that the slow growth was due to the absence of biological parents."
Kaname snorted, "Typical answer but baseless…" he held Zero in his arms once again, whispering in low serious voice "You see Zero, no matter how much of a scumbag Rido was, he would not lay hand on an ex-human unless they were really unique. He merely regards them as livestock, nothing more… Now, tell me… How did such a person end up impregnating a woman he turned when she was not even around on the academy ground when he regained his original body?"
Kaname felt Zero tense up, confirming his suspicion that the hunter was aware of the mystery shrouding the child. He continued nonetheless, "Lets assume that the information about her being someplace else that time was incorrect… Keiichi himself is too powerful of a vampire to have been conceived by an ex-human."
Zero joined the observation, "Heeh… I thought his powers have yet to awaken… That is if he has any to begin with… How can you measure his power just like that?"
Kaname let out a breathy chuckle, confusing Zero as he grabbed his chin to make him look into his amused red-brown eyes, "I hate to brag, but I am not king of vampires for nothing… Keiichi will grow to become a level B vampire, one that might turn out as strong as Takuma and Senri."
Zero paled at the announcement, his mouth went slack, "But that-"
"Doesn't make sense right?" Kaname finished his sentence, "Indeed it does not make sense if the mother was a human turned vampire shortly before conceiving. As a matter of fact, it is suspicious that a newly turned vampire can carry a pureblood offspring to term, but that is not the point… Back to his growth issue, the reason behind the stunted growth have never been the parent. Many vampires grew up without parents around as long as they absorb life energy… I found the reason in his medical record after awakening. I should probably say that I stumbled upon them… You see, Zero, Keiichi has a bullet embedded right here." Kaname informed as he pushed a certain area of Zero's head with his finger. He resumed his hold on the hunter, "That region influence the development greatly. It seems that Hanabusa is using some vampire magic to keep the bullet in place because he is in a non-operable region."
Zero dropped his head so that his wet bangs hide his expression. He felt as if something was squeezing his heart, he wanted to stop the discussion, but the lump in his throat prevented him from interrupting the rambling of the pureblood. "One single mistake, one careless push can lead to a fatal result. I guess that is why Aido never intervened. Now, the interesting part of the story is that bullet. I went through the various scans Aido took along the years, the flat, 3D and others, and I came to this conclusion. That bullet is unique in the shape, design, and the carving that I managed to make out. A bullet that can belong to only one weapon, Bloody Rose…" Kaname stilled his movement before asking, "Am I wrong?"
Zero felt his heart jump to his throat at the question, his lips moved before a croaky voice came out, "I don't know…"
"Liar." Kaname deadpanned
Zero turned and glared at him, but Kaname spoke before he retorted, "Your heartbeat just gave you away." the pureblood pointed
Zero's face almost turned blue from anger, he gritted his teeth, hissing, "Are a fucking lie detector now." he tried to get out of the bath, but his body was still sluggish and not strong enough to fight off the hold of the pureblood. "Zero, wait… It is not like that… I just wanted to know… Too many assumptions that I hate to have are swirling in my head whenever I see that child… The fact that your bullet is in his head is undeniable and that just made more confused. You should have not met with him at all because you were in US during the time he was born… That is unless… I first thought that your twin might be the one who was impregnated by that scum since he was his attendant. But then I scratched the possibility because Ichiru would not have let go of him or declared an adoption if Keiichi was his" Kaname's voice took a higher pitch as he tried to explain as fast as possible, "All I can think of is that the mother was in US at some point… The only reason I can think of that pushed your twin and Aido to change the story is that something happened that they did not want us to know about… Something involving that bullet…" Zero froze as he felt a calamity about to befall him, "Zero… Did you try to kill the mother?"
"Huh?" Zero gave him the dumbest look as a reaction.
Kaname cleared his throat "I understand if you say that you got mad at your brother for sheltering the woman carrying that man's child… The only way to explain the confusing situation, is that the mother of Keiichi is a high ranking vampire. It might be a stretch, but I also considered the possibility of a level C or at most a level D… The reason that Ichiru hid the fact might relate to the incident in which you shot her. You probably thought she was going mad because of bloodthirst and tried to stop her right? They would not reveal that because the penalty was pretty harsh back then. They were protecting you right?" Kaname tried to soften his voice, urging the still dumbfounded hunter to answer.
His suspicion confirmed when Zero nodded, "They were protecting me… It is true." Seeing that the heartbeat indicated no lie, Kaname finally relaxed while Zero groggily stumbled out of the bathtub.
∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
It did not take Kaname too long to emerge from the bathroom. However, that was apparently enough time for the hunter to do a half-hearted job in drying his hair and falling asleep sprawled across the bed. The scowl on his sleepy face amused Kaname to no end. The blinking of his phone from the corner of his eyes reminded him that he had put it on silent before the mission. He was surprised to see a three digits number of calls and messages, which got him extremely worried.
The messages were recent, mostly from Takuma and Yuki asking about his whereabouts. Kain apparently informed them about the incident and Yuki was worried about the fact that Zero was drugged. He moved on the earlier that were mostly voice mail. Opening the last one, he found that it was from Cross saying to call him as soon as possible with a dark voice that almost spoke of tragedy.
He quickly dialed the number of the acting president and waited impatiently while looking over his shoulder to make sure that Zero was not disturbed.
"Kaname-kun?" The voice of Kaien Cross sounded weak over the phone, not at all like the usual boisterous chairman.
"Yes, Cross-san… I am sorry; I failed to notice that my phone was on silent." Kaname quickly explained
"It is okay, I am sure you had your hand full as it is. Akatsuki-kun already reported about the mission, you do not have to worry about it. More importantly, Are you still with Zero. I can't see to reach his phone."
Kaname glanced at the snoozing hunter, "Yes, I have been monitoring the effect of the drug." in a very unconventional way.
"Is he able to move around?" The worried tone spoke miles. Cross must be aware of what kind of drug was used.
"Yes, with a bit of difficulty though." Kaname replied, as calmly as ever.
"Good I need you to bring him down here as soon as possible, the address is…" Kaname's eyes widened when he was given the address of the hospital.
"Cross-san?"
"Truth is, Ichiru-kun needs all the support his brother is willing to give right now-" Kaname looked at the sleeping hunter, this time with a look akin to pity as he listen to Cross filling him on the details.
After hanging up, the pureblood sat on the bed next to Zero and started to wake him up as gently as possible.
Amethyst eyes fluttered open followed by a groan, "Kaname~ really? Just when I was about to get a good rest?"
"There is no time for that Zero." Kaname spoke with a strained tone as he picked the landline to call for room service. His tone shook Zero into full awareness, the hunter narrowed his eyes as he took in the serious demeanor of the pureblood while he talked on the phone, asking for two sets of suits.
Zero felt more perplexed when he perceived something akin to sadness in the pureblood's eyes when they looked his way. "Zero… We need to get going now… Ichiru is in the hospital and you need to be with him now, he will need you now more than ever." The pureblood explained, holding the hunter's hand. He already had an idea that they have been having some difference for the past few days, although Zero never told him the reason for the fight. He just hoped that the hunter does not act stubborn. Especially not now.
Zero felt as if a cold ice bucket was poured all over him, he froze, unable to process what he just heard. Ichiru… hospital?
∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞ At the time Zero was preparing for the mission, Kaito's reason for not coming ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
How the fuck did things turn out this way?
The hazel-eyed hunter muttered profanity under his breath while a pair of angry purple eyes glared at him. He finally pushed his weight from the bench and joined the opposite one of the moving van, where a handcuffed Ichiru sat with his hands protectively resting on the unconscious head of his lover.
Kaito bumped their shoulder together and whispered so that the other hunters would not hear. "Will stop with that fucking glare already! I had no other choice."
The glare only intensified as Ichiru hissed, "No other choices? You could have given us some heads up, instead of barging and knocking him out like some sort of sick criminal."
Kaito sighed, "It is not that simple. If I told you and you chose to run, it would have been a hunt, not a fucking arrest. You get it? they would have gone for your man's head, whether innocent or not." He gritted pointing to the blond head.
Ichiru's eyes settled on his sleeping lover, "How long will he be like this."
Kaito exhaled, feeling like shit about doing this to them, "He will start to wake up after we reach, but he won't regain his strength anytime soon, so he will probably be drowsy the whole time."
"Fucking great!" Ichiru drawled.
"Tell me about it… Man, Zero is going to chew me out if he learns that you got locked up as well, on my watch. Why did you have and act like an ass. You know the beef Jinmu has with you and you gave him the opportunity on a golden platter… I can't believe that Aido trusted me and let himself get arrested and you had to go and play the hero."
"Did you expect me to sit and cross finger while god knows what you might be doing to him. Hell to the no!" Ichiru snapped, not bother about the murmurs from the other hunters.
Kaito groaned, this is going to be a long fucking night.
It all started when Kaito went to the association in order to collect the fake ID and outfit for the mission he was supposed to lead with Zero. That was when he came across the arrest warrant with the name of Hanabusa Aido in it. He cursed every single force of nature when he saw the task assigned to none other than Jinmu. As competent as the old hunter might be, Kaito was aware of the incident that happened when they gathered to see Yagari off. It took him some ass-kissing with Jinmu and some rule bending with Cross and Shouto to be allowed to switch at the last minute. He could not afford their encounter to run wild and anyone of them getting hurt.
He somehow managed to convince the old coot to leave the arrest to him, acting smug in saying that they will have their guard down around him.
he was grateful enough when Aido caught up with his signal when Kaito showed him the tranquilizer syringe and mouthed 'trust me' to the vampire. If Aido had any doubt about the situation, he would have long frozen them solid before Kaito could sink the needle into his wrist. The problem lied with Ichiru who wen into a fit of rage when they informed about the reason for the arrest. Kaito sighed again when he remembered the incrimination that made no sense to him at all.
'The bodies of the missing hunters were found in XXXX location. According to the report from the scene. It is stated that the heart of the victims were gouged out and locked in supernatural ice at the time of death. The encased hearts were placed next to the rotting bodies. This lead us to assume that the criminal is an ice-wielder with insider information about the activities of the victims… The list of suspect to be brought for interrogation and DNA testing is the following:-'
The fact that there were other suspect lightened the shock on Kaito, but he was still feeling apprehensive because the reason for arresting Aido was the absence of alibi. That irritated him even more, because it seemed that the hunters were ignoring Ichiru's testament that he was with him on purpose. They had to rub salt to the wound by saying that the silverette already betrayed his family once, so his words cannot be taken into account.
His anger flared again when he remembered how Jinmu dragged Ichiru into custody with the accusation that he is an accomplice by covering for a criminal. It was as if he had everything set in stone. There a lot of fishy details swarming around that were putting Kaito on the edge.
"Did you try calling him." The hesitant whisper snapped Kaito back to the present time.
"What?" he asked the now calmer Ichiru.
"Did you call Zero?"
"Yeah, I have been trying but he does not answer…"
Ichiru fell silent; a grim expression haunted his face.
Once they reached the headquarter, Kaito guided Ichiru with another two hunter dragging Aido's limp form to their cells. Never in his life did Ichiru considered visiting such a place. The underground murky smell caused his nostrils to flare. The air of death surrounding the place gave him the chills. Kaito squeezed his arms to reassure him, but the silverette still trembled like a leaf. He was not scared for his life, but for Hanabusa. Especially when he caught sight of the torture tools hang on the walls.
Ichiru was guided inside a cell where he was chained to the bars and locked inside. He watched as Kaito joined the others who were chaining his lover to the wall. He heart stop when Jinmu joined them and pushed Kaito aside when the young hunter was waking Aido up, gently. The old blond hunter did not hesitate to pack a punch and another until the vampire groaned. "Finally awake, princess."
Dim electric blue eyes opened and followed the source of the voice. Jinmu grabbed his bangs, completely ignoring Kaito's plea to take it easy. "Now then, let's get down to business. I want you to pop a ball of your ice if you want me to keep you alive for a little longer, not that it would matter anyway… As soon as the result return a confirmation that it corresponds to yours, I will be delighted to give you the most painful death like the one you inflicted on my comrades you piece of shit."
Aido glared and was about to retort, but Kaito cut him off with a pat on the shoulder, "The tests are highly accurate and will clear your name in no time, Hanabusa. Just do it! If not for yourself, do it for Ichiru". Aido complied upon seeing the frightened expression of his teary lover across from him. Ichiru could not hear them properly because of the other guards chattering nearby but he picked on the testing part and his heart jumped when he met the drugged eyes of his lover who glanced at him before producing an ice ball that dropped into the bag in Kaito's hands.
The groggy blonde-haired vampire was again cruelly chained to the wall and Jinmu made sure to personally lock the door and install a charm that will drain Aido of all his power. Hanabusa gasped at the feeling of his energy seeping away. His body felt too heavy, dangling from the chains holding his cuffed wrists that barely kept his form up straight. He would give anything for him to lie down on a comfortable bed hugging the love of his life right now.
"A vampire dating a human and a hunter trying to protect a vampire, what a disgusting sight" Jinmu spat on the floor as he glared at Aido, Kaito and Ichiru "I will be back to personally put you out of your misery, vampire and to purge some pus out of this rotting organization. New order association, my ass!" the old man cursed as he left the detention area to bring the sample to the lab.
Kaito glanced at Aido and then squatted near Ichiru's cell where the silver haired man crumbled on his knees clutching the bar with unblinking eyes staring at his lover. Kaito cringed upon seeing the silent tears rolling down the face of the man he considered as important as a little brother would have been. He reached out and wiped one cheek, pinching it to get his attention, "Hey stop crying and make sure to keep him calm and silent so that they do not get anything against him until I go inform Cross of what is going on down here. Once the tests are out, I will come collect the both of you and drive you back home, don't worry…. Ah! Sorry for the rough handling, that old coot took the mission before I came to know about it and I had to beg him to allow me to be the one to arrest him. If not, your lover would have been turned to dust the minute Jinmu got into the apartment"
Ichiru scoffed but his eyes never left the form of his slumping lover who was still dizzy from the tranquilizer "how long will that shit keep him out" …. "No more than another five minutes, but he will still be weak because of the restrain and the draining spell that shithead put, that I won't be able to cancel either unfortunately."…
"Go do whatever it is you have to do and get us out of here, please!" Ichiru said and finally met Kaito with a pleading desperate look. Kaito nodded before ruffling the silver hair and leaving in direction of the president's office. The two guards at the door snickered after the hunter left which unsettled Ichiru greatly. Few minute later, the silver haired human jumped when he heard the hoarse voice of his lover calling out his name, slightly smiling at the effort Aido made to make his tone as loving as possible "Ichiru, are you there?'
"Yes love, I am right in front of you," he answered with a voice laced with worry as he was staring right into unfocused electric blue eyes
"Sorry! *cough* my eyes are blurry, everything is swimming"
"Don't worry about it, listen, I want you to stay calm and do not use your powers at all, that spell will only make things painful if you struggle. Okay baby?"
"Umm" Aido nodded weakly "I did not do it, believe me I –"
"Hana, stop! You don't need to tell me, I was with you, remember. It is true that you were of the premises of Cross Academy during the estimated time of death of most of them, but you were with me each and every single time."
"Yeah, but- " Aido trailed weakly
"No buts! Besides I know you would not hurt anyone, if nothing else, you are working hard to save so many already" Ichiru talked softly as if cooing at his lover to calm him down. He knew how much Aido hated to be falsely accused, and if it was any other day, he would be throwing a huge tantrum about it.
"Okay then, stop crying! You know I like seeing your tears only when they fall after laughing too hard," Aido answered with a weak smile meant to be a teasing smirk
Ichiru chuckled as he wiped his face and taking a deep breath to stop his sniffling "I love you, now be quiet and let us patiently wait for that jerk to come get us out"
"I love you too and you should not be calling him a jerk at a time like this," Aido scolded.
"Whatever" Ichiru scoffed. He will be a jerk until we are out of here.
The both settled in the quiet, with Ichiru speaking sometime to dispel the eerie feeling the place was giving him. The couple of hours felt like eternity for the two prisoner.
*click clang* *heavy door opening* Ichiru stood up and peered at whoever is going through the door, almost certain that it was Kaito coming to release them. Took him long enough, then again, it is still fast for forensics if he was waiting for the results. The happy smile on his face quickly dropped when he met Jinmu's smug look.
"The results are out shitty vamp and they are goddamn positive". Aido's eyes widened at the announcement, and from Ichiru's voice as he screamed bloody murder at the hunter. Jinmu paid the silver-haired twin no attention and proceeded to opening the vampire's cell, approaching the restrained noble with a syringe filled with a brownish substance.
Aido's tired brain could not pinpoint what it was but the elated look on the hunter's face told him that it was bad news. With no strength to fight back, he winced as the needle pierced the artery on his neck. He felt the burning liquid seep into his blood. He gasped as his hold body flushed hot then turned ice cold in retaliation against the invading substance.
"For killing my comrade and deceiving people with that fake faith of yours in ending the war between races, you deserve a slow and painful death instead of having your heart pierced or your head simply cut off, that would be too merciful for an abomination like you." Jinmu spat on Aido's face, ignoring Ichiru's scream that turned into a plea for a moment before turning back into murderous threat, despite that the silver head did not see the syringe or what the man did to his lover because of the annoying broad back of the hunter hindering his vision.
Jinmu leaned closer to Aido's ear and whispered, "I injected you with a special venom made by our renowned hunter scientist, I don't really know the specifics but I do know that it will destroy you inside out really… really slowly. In your weak state, the torture would last one to two hours, give or take until you to finally turn into a dried out mummy then blast into dust. hhhhhh, I will make sure to come swipe it off and throw it into the flammable garbage. NO better place for you to rest buddy!" he gave a sarcastic laugh when the golden haired vampire let out a whimper of pain while glaring at him as the hunter stood up and closed the cell.
Jinmu turned to face Ichiru who snarled at him "I swear I will kill you even if it the last thing I do before I die!"… The old hunter made a comically surprised face "woohoo… I am so scared! The failure of the Kiryuu is threatening me… I should probably stat watching my back huh?..." he paused
"Except *bang*" he hit Ichiru's head with the blunt back of his gun making blood trickle on his forehead "you probably won't make it out of here alive either seeing as you covered up for his crime and will be considered an accomplice and traitor, like usual…" Ichiru's vision reddened from the blood trickling on his eye, he was peeved and the murmur, snicker and shuffling of the other guard did little to calm his fury.
"He did not do anything, he did not kill anyone!" Ichiru screamed again, refusing to accept the truth under any circumstance. Jinmu was wedging his rifle to hit him again when the clattering of chain stopped him. He looked around to see a red-eyed Aido with his fangs bared, oozing a powerful killing intent that made the old hunter shudder but he tried not to show it.
"Showing your true form beast, we will see how long you can keep that intimidating strike of yours. I will be back for the final show, cannot miss the death of one of the big thorns in the hunters' sides" he snorted and made his way out of the prison. Aido's eyes returned to their electric blue color and his fangs retracted, his whole body slumped forward, dangling from the chains keeping both his wrist up. Ichiru's heart was bleeding more than his forehead at the sight of his proud lover down on his knees, breathing with difficulty and looking down in defeat.
"Hana! Hana! Look at me! you will be fine… I am sure Kaito will find proof of your innocence soon… and if it makes you feel better, after death sentence is announced, the accused gets three days grace before getting executed. That will leave plenty of time for everyone to find a way to get you out… please raise your head baby… let me see your face…" don't give up hope so soon
Aido was silent for a while before he let out a breathy chuckle and shook his head, still looking down. Ichiru perked at the action thinking that his lover's mood was better "lucky them"
"Huh?..."
"Those who get the three days I mean…"
"What do you mean?" Ichiru was confused
"Nothing, I love you Ichiru. I always will, you know that, right?"
"I love you too" Ichiru nodded, starting to get puzzled by his lover's words.
"I am sorry I did not put too much thought in the fertility issue" Aido continued with a sad smile as he looked at the pained expression across from him.
"huh?..." now Ichiru was stupefied… is this any time to talk about his fantasy of having their biological child
"I mean, I should have at least put some more effort into looking for a way that would allow us to conceive a child of our own, the baby would have been the most beautiful thing you would ever see. I would have loved for them to be a girl, but a boy is also a blessing." Aido chuckled as he imagined them fussing over a bundle of joy and how happy they would have been to witness his first word, first walk, first day of school…
Ichiru smiled "Well, you might want to start thinking about it again as soon as we are out of here, genius scientist-" Ichiru tried to go along with the merry mood he thought Aido was awkwardly trying to set before he was cut off by the sorrowful look of his lover. Aido had raised his head properly, that is when the now obvious sad smile set all Ichiru's alarms off.
"Sorry love! I kind of understand now… Why you wanted it so badly… Leaving a part of you behind to be a proof and constant reminder of the love we shared" a single tear rolled on Aido's cheek and Ichiru gripped the bars of his cell, shaking the rusty but strong metal.
"What the hell are you talking about Hana! Stop it! it's like… Like… as if you are saying goodbye… Stop talking like that" Ichiru's voice came out strained and loud before his eyes widened in understanding as he took in the strained feature of his lover and the glossy sweating forehead and clenched fist "what did that fucker do to you what did he say, Hana!"
Aido screwed his eyes shut and let out a pained groaned as a burning jolt of pain shot through the back of his head to his spine and racked every corner of his body. His was throat parched and his brain was starting to get foggy, his answer came out slurred "Brown liquid… one hour… desiccate…"
Ichiru covered his mouth in shock and his whole body trembled in disbelief as he fell on his knees in shock. The words sunk in with a sense of doom. It can't be…the poison they used to deliver slow death to the worst vampire criminal, it is potent enough to incapacitate a pureblood in a matter of 24 hours, 24 hours of hell. Ichiru's head snapped back up when he heard the clattering of the chains. He could not help the tears from flowing down and could not make a sound as he choked on the sight of his lover writhing in pain and clawing in the air while screaming out for help…
Everything happened quickly, in a matter of minutes, Aido lost all sense of coherence and was unable to respond when Ichiru tried to keep him grounded. Ichiru tried calling out his name repeatedly, tried to distract him from the pain, but nothing worked. Oh god! This is happening too fast! Someone help! Ichiru prayed internally as he watched his lover going paler, eyes blazing red, claws and fangs erected… even in his most bestial form, he still loved him. Even when Aido snarled whenever he called him, he was not scared. Instead he was hurting knowing that Aido is losing himself to the pain and torture, which he could not begin to imagine the amount of. If the poison can affect a pureblood. Ichiru could not imagine what it does to lower ranks. Agony
The physical torture and mental torture of the prisoners went on for a good hour or so.
"Gaaaaaaaaaaah… Ack… ah" one last piecing cry came out of the vampire mouth before he slumped and went completely still. Ichiru broke in cold blood, dreading the worst.
"No no no no no… Hana! Hana! Baby raise your head… baby do you hear me! Hana say something, Move… stay with me… No please… don't… leave… me" the silver haired man trembled and sobbed loudly when he got no response from his lover. No! This can't be happening, it was supposed to be me who would go first… it was never supposed to be like this. He does not deserve this… oh God! Please! If you truly exist, hear out the one and only prayer I will ever make… Please save him! Please save him!... He chanted the prayers like a mantra in his head, trying his best not to sink into despair.
The door creaked open again and the disgusting old hunter came in with a delighted look. "Well! Well! What do we have here…? I guess it worked faster that I thought. I did give a generous dose after all" He smirked glancing at a broken Ichiru who did not bother looking back at him "lost your spunk already! Future widow, I will make sure to bring a lasagna for the mourning" he let out a noisy laugh, but got no reaction as Ichiru kept his hands clasped together, eyes closed, sitting on his knees praying non-stop. The action got on the hunter's nerve, so he signaled to the other guards to do what he agreed with them previously.
Aido skin started to turn ashen pale and his cheeks sinking in as his blood combusted, destroying his insides at a fast pace. His nervous system was completely wrecked, allowing him to feel no pain on his last moments. His brain could still somehow process his surrounding, the warm presence of his lover not faraway soothing him a little and agonized him at the same time. He reacted slightly when the broken scream of his lover reached him, but he dismissed it as an illusion of his slipping consciousness. Little did he know the kind of hell Ichiru was being subjected to.
In the other cell, Jinmu smirked watching the three hunter beating Ichiru to pulp. Having the same face as Zero was a curse for the twin. "If you are to blame anyone, blame your brother. Quite a few of us have some score to settle with that freak… Especially those gentlemen."
Ichiru spit the blood from the cut on his lips and laughed bitterly, "What gentlemen? Cowards are way more brave than hussies like you… Just because you do not have the guts to fight nii-san… Then again, you would not be able to even touch him even if you tried."
He gagged when one of them punched his guts.
"What the heck are you getting hard for?" One of the hunters pointed to another fellow, who smirked. "Shut up!" The aroused man stammered. He made the mistake of imagining how the silverette would be under his lover when he saw the delectable skin and nipple through the ripped shirt. Jinmu smirked at that and taunted, "I did say that you can do whatever you want… Better not leave any regret since he will be a dead man soon."
Realizing the wicked intention, Ichiru gathered his strength to send a flying kick into the pervert's face. To his unfortunate fate, the man intercepted and twisted his leg harshly, causing him to scream in pain as he felt the bone twist and crack. As if what is about to happen was not humiliating enough, Jinmu had to deal the final blow by removing his wedding band and breaking his ring finger as well. Violet eyes dimmed as any light of hope gradually left them, leaving a shell of a man behind who just stared at the still form of his husband.
Meanwhile, Aido sank into his own world as his senses dulled to the point of being unable to process his surroundings. He did not wish for Ichiru to witness such an ugly demise. The little bit of consciousness finally left him and he relaxed waiting to see the other side. I wonder who I am going to find there… Not like it matter anyways. I will just bid my time waiting for him to reunite again I guess. Smiled Aido internally before that smile faded, but I do wish I didn't have to die so soon. I don't want to leave him alone just yet, I promised I would be by his side until the end after all. The blond vampire was in a comatose state, so he could not hear the commotion that happened shortly after he lost consciousness.
The sturdy heavy metal door of the prison entrance was sent flying across the corridor, making the eyes of the present hunters bulge out. Ichiru tilted his head weakly toward the stream of light where he could make out the familiar figure of a man that he would usually feel like punching, but not today. A pissed off Cross Kaien barged inside followed by a peeved Isaya Shouto and a worried Takamiya Kaito. The latter did not waste time to clobber the guards assaulting the silver-haired man and pulling Ichiru over his shoulder.
Ichiru's face lit up a little as hope started to dissipate the dark despair he plunged in. Isaya was the fasted to reach Aido's cell and he had a petrified look on his face. Kaien paled and whispered "are we too late?". An instant of pregnant silence passed as Shouto focused his senses. His eyes suddenly shot open with a gleeful smile looking back at Cross " He is still there… it is very weak, but he reacted to my aura." the pureblood winced as he tried to wrench the cell door open, his hands scalded from spell burning him.
"Allow me" Cross jumped in as he knew how to dispel it only to freeze When the barrel of a rifle stuck to his temple. "What the fuck do you think you are doing, Cross. This bloodsucker is already dying; you saw the results stating that he is the criminal, and you still trying to save him. Are you planning on becoming a traitor. In that case, I have all right to kill you right here right now for helping him escape"… Cross glanced sideway to look at his old colleague while raising a hand to stop both Shouto and Kaito from interfering "traitor? Culprit? … To hell with that"
"What?" the old hunter had hard time hearing the muttering
"Ne? Isaya-san, Kaito-chan? Having a barrel stuck to your temple can be considered a life threating situation right?"
Both addressed people were confused at first and then it clicked, they smirked looking at each other and nodded a yes.
"You both are witnesses for it and Ichiru of course"
"yes" "yup" answered instantly Kaito and Shouto. Before Jinmu could process the meaning of the 'pointless question'. His jaw dropped as he saw his rifle bending like a piece of paper by the simple twist of Cross's fingers while the ex-hunter was leisurely removing his glasses and tucking them into his pocket.
"Now Jinmu, threatening to kill the president with so many witnesses is not a smart at all. In fact, you just gave me a reason to call what I am about to do legitimate self-defense," the old hunter let go of his weapon and jumped back grabbing a dagger before lunging at Cross again, aiming for the kill. The latter did not move until the last second, he grabbed the wrist holding the dagger and squeezed it. A sickening cry followed the sound of breaking bones, making all conscious witness cringe. "This is for forging the forensics documents," Cross hissed
The next bone to break was the forearm "This is for taking the liberty and poisoning a prisoner before the end of the three days grace if he was truly the culprit"
The next thing cross did was grab the pained man's shoulders and twisted, leading to a chocked cry as he dislocated both shoulders at the same time. Jinmu was about to lose consciousness from the pain when cross slapped him across the face and grabbed his head.
"That was for hurting my precious protégé and the one holding humanity's hopes in his hands. What is coming next will be for making my adorable son cry in despair you piece of shit" Cross warned darkly, making the short-haired hunter shake and whimper in fear under the deadly glare.
"Please spare me… No…ugh… more"… Cross's eyes softened for a moment and a genuine gentle smile showed on his face, making Jinmu relax before tensing again at the next words.
"Don't wanna" Cross spoke in a childish tone titling his head to the side before tightening his grip on the head and throwing the man like a baseball pitcher, impaling his head into the furthest wall at the end of the corridor from the impact. He turned around and walked toward Aido's cell clapping his hands as if dusting some dirt off, he took a deep breath and spoke while dispelling the spell "As soon as the door open you will get in and inject his artery with the antidote. Isaya-san will provide him with his blood for faster recovery. Kaito snapped out of his shock and muttered a yes while helping Ichiru rest against a wall.
The young hunter was terrified at the display of power he just witnessed. Isaya gave a wicked smile "Happy to see that you have not lost your touch. I guess the vampire blood in you is not for show, though your sword earned you the fame you once had" Cross smiled as he flung the door open and motioned for them to go in "anything for my children" he winked.
Aido state was worse than expected, even with the antidote and pureblood, the vampire was stuck in a mummified state, Ichiru tried giving him his blood but to no avail. A frustrated Kaito stormed out of the cell toward the groaning Jinmu who started to wake up. He grabbed his collar and talked close to his face in a menacing tone, "what the fuck did you give him".
The older hunter smirked "why should I tell vampire boy toy" he spit on Kaito. The hazel eyed hunter gave him a look of contempt before whispering "Then maybe I will have Cross come and get you to spit it out, how is that?" he trailed the last part in a mocking tone, satisfied to feel the old coot tremble. "Vampire blood won't cure him, if he reached the last stage, the antidote will only stop the process for few hours. Only non-vampire blood associated with the antidote can reverse it."
Kaito was about lash out on the man for lying because Ichiru already gave his blood but halted. He remembered that Ichiru drank a lot of Shizuka's, and he recently learned that he also drank from Aido regularly. His system was not entirely deprived of vampire blood.
Looking at Jinmu's victorious expression pissed him off. He had to think deeper because the man was not telling the whole truth. He said non-vampire blood, I have to rush to the hospital and get some human blood from the bank, will there be enough ti-
His trained of thoughts stopped when all the pieces of the puzzle came together. Wait! It is a method of torture and execution! Those mad scientist would not make such a blunder. A victorious grin plastered on Kaito's face that served to wipe the smug look on the one of the older hunter. "Well… Well… Well… Isn't this fantastic… Injecting vampires with a concoction that will destroy them inside out and, in case they manage to flee, they will not recover by drinking the blood from another vampire. However, they will also not get better by dinking human blood for this specific drug. After all, hunters cannot afford to have their prey regain strength when they are hunting it."
Jinmu paled when he realized that Kaito figured it out.
Back in the cell, Ichiru was sitting awkwardly next to the mummified Aido that they laid on the cold floor. He held his hand tightly waiting for any sign of recovery. Kaien was rubbing his back in attempt to comfort him while Isaya was pouring his own blood down the noble's throat. The three were startled to hear groans and grunts coming from outside, but did not bother checking. They could easily guess what was happening. Kaito finally snapped.
The young hunter's bloodied form made its way across the cell. Cross looked at him with a grin, "How is the damage?".
An out of breath Kaito looked back with a satisfied smirk "Couple of broken rib, twisted spine, broken nose and missing teeth. Nothing that would kill a hunter I guess." He shrugged earning a chuckle from the acting president. Cross smile disappeared and was replaced with a surprised expression he shared with Isaya and Ichiru when Kaito pushed the pureblood's hand out of the vampire mouth, sliced his own wrist deeply and let the red rich hunter blood slide down the throat of the blond vampire.
He sat on the floor crossing his legs and cradled the blond head to make sure not a drop was wasted "You better wake up soon!" Kaito's voice was strained. I thought that keeping him arrested until I cleared his name would be better than getting him to escape and be hunted down. Never thought it would fucking backfire and lead to this.
He tilted the head a little when the ruby liquid overflowed. "Come on…" He urged
Kaito realized the cue behind Jinmu's words. He prayed that his assumption was right because he would be able to save the blond vampire it was the case. By non-vampire blood, he meant hunter's blood, not human. He probably did not expect that there would be a hunter willing to slice his fucking wrist to save a vampire, lucky for Aido that there was one, who never bothered consuming his lover's blood.
A trembling hand snapped him out of his thoughts when it tried to get his bleeding wrist away. Amethyst eyes met hazel one and Ichiru nudged the unmoving hand of his childhood friend "It is enough, we have to stop your bleeding, I don't want lose another important person the same day, Kaito please!" Kaito ignored the tears streaming down the pained face and took Ichiru's hand away, stubbornly letting his blood flow out.
"No, I am fine, my blood will he- AAAA! FUCK THAT HURTS!" all eyes snapped to the bleeding wrist were a pair of fangs were embedded and the Adam apple of a certain blond vampire was bobbing up and down his throat at a crazy pace. Ichiru moved fast and cupped his lover face after failing to wrench his death grip over Kaito's arm "Hana stop! Hana, you are taking too much… STOP IR NOW!" Red eyes morphed back into electric blue and fangs retracting upon hearing his lover's terrified voice. He covered the hands cupping his face with his own and gave his lover a puzzled look "Ichiru? When did you have three arms?"
A minute silence passed by before "pfffff" "hahahahahah" " oh dear! That is a unique thing to say after coming back from the dead" Ichiru and Kaien burst laughing and wiping happy tears while Isaya contented himself with the sarcastic remark as he leaned against the wall. Aido wore a confused expression until a groggy voice resounded above his head "It was my fucking wrist you were munching on, you shithead! Now better let go before I pass out, ugh… feeling dizzy" *thud*.
All laughter quieted down when Kaito finally passed out from blood loss. Isaya was the first to move into action by taking the hunter to the infirmary at a lightening vampire speed to get him on IV drip while the doctor stitched his bleeding wrist, safely closing the vein. Cross called for back up to transport Aido and Ichiru to the nearest hospital. He finally let a heartfelt smile slip when he saw Ichiru's form curled up on Aido's side, both fast asleep from exhaustion.
They thought that the storm had subsided, so no one was ready for what came after when Ichiru was admitted in ICU.
Reviews!
The tension is going to start rising and other twists are coming up to spice up the mundane pace the story fell into.
*a little rambling for those asking about the pregnancy
I am personally dying to get Zero pregnant as soon as possible but it will just mess up the storyline, However, for those who are reading the story solely because I wrote MPREG in the summary, do not worry, I was not trying to deceive you. There will be plenty of pregnancies and babies to make it up to you.
P.S: When I first started this story, I was intending for only the mention of MPREG, but the plot that followed gave me the inspiration to include actual Zero pregnancy and the drama that comes with it. That might explain why it is taking so long because his bond with Kaname needs to grow more.