Hello there! I was surprised to see so many reviews for the last chapter XD
I expected the mixed feelings that will come with the new twist and I enjoyed reading how you felt about it as well as the critics, Thank you very much for taking the time to drop those reviews, as always *kiss*
I consider this chapter as a necessary filler, so please don't kill me if you found it a bit boring because it is needed for the next development.
"Enjoy!"
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Having slept directly after Kaname left, Zero woke up at the sound of his alarm. Smashing the object, He groggily opened one lazy eye. He groaned as soon as he saw the state of the room. Kaname was in a hurry to leave somehow!
The hunter braced himself to find his place looking as if a hurricane blew right through it. Looking at the empty side of his bed, he found Kaname's jacket lying next to him. He pulled it and was about to get out of bed when the pictures taken at the restaurant fell from the pocket, he picked one up, eyes narrowing at the sight. In the photograph, His eyes were shut while Kaname was kissing his jawbone. The next one was of him glaring at the smirking pureblood through his golden colored lenses. The last one captured the closeness of their faces when a blushing Zero was about to hide in the crook of Kaname's neck. The happy look of the brunet irked him for how much fun he seemed to be having.
He grabbed his phone and typed the message,
Zero :: "You forgot the pictures."
Kaname :: "Oh? I will take them next time I come by. Did you incinerate the shirt?"
Zero :: "I will now."
Kaname :: "How is your body?"
Zero :: "Fine. I am not going to give you the pictures, after all." Zero sent the message, smirking as he looked at the photograph.
Kaname :: "NO you will! I am not letting you burn them. Coming right now."
Laughing hard, Zero sent a reply quickly.
Zero :: "Idiot! I will keep them hidden here at my place. I won't feel at ease having them anywhere close to your clique. Perfect as the disguise might be, my face is recognizable if seen by someone who faced me daily for years. The difference in hair and eye's color won't do the trick."
Kaname :: "Fine." The pureblood typed the answer and relaxed in his passenger seat. Oh well! I should take it as good sign that he decided to keep them.
"You seem to be in a better mood," Takuma asked, glancing at his friend.
"I am" Kaname answered.
"You still won't tell me why whoever spilled their drink on your head did it?" Takuma probed, he was shocked to see his friend materialize dripping wet and reeking of alcohol when he called him back to the academy. The cold look on the pureblood eyes sent chill down Takuma's spine because it seems as if he was about to kill someone.
"I told you that some drunk got himself knocked over and spilled his drink on me." Kaname answered
"Right." Takuma nodded slowly looking ahead at the road. Kaname tilted the seat back and relaxed for the long ride.
Ten minutes later, his phone rang. Seeing that the brunet had no plan on opening his eyes, Takuma took the device from the charging slot and checked the caller ID.
"Kaname… I believe Kiryuu-kun is calling." Takuma announced, frowning at the screen showing the first name of the hunter along with a sideway picture of him. The noble sighed in exasperation, worried about the pureblood.
"Plug it in the speaker." The sleepy vampire mumbled.
"What? What if he hears me…" Takuma was flabbergasted. I said I will keep the secret but I have no interest in hearing you two flirting.
As if reading his mind, Kaname opened one eye, "He is not one to flirt or sweet talk over the phone, just plug it, he must have forgotten to tell me something else earlier. Make sure to keep quiet."
"Oh!" Takuma understood then that the messages making the pureblood smile were from the silverette.
"Ah!" he gave a sheepish smile as the phone call ended before he could touch the answering button. Just when Takuma was about to apologize, it rang again. He quickly answered this time. That is when they both realized how huge of a mistake they made by relying on the booming speakers of the car.
"KANAME YOU MOTHERFUCKER! I AM SO GOING TO KILL YOU!" The pureblood quickly muffled Takuma's surprised yelp and picked the phone to his ear.
"What is going on?"
"What is going? WHAT IS GOING ON? Thanks to whatever you did to me yesterday… Shit! Shit! this can't be happening!" Zero frustration was clear in his voice.
"Zero?" Kaname asked cautiously.
"Fuckin Gin came into the house while we were fucking. THAT IS WHAT IS GOING ON? AND I DID NOT HEAR OR SMELL A THING."
"Oh! How can you be so sure that he came then?" Kaname wondered if the source of his irritation told Zero that he saw them.
"There is Korean food on my kitchen counter and the key I gave Ichiru, I am sure as hell to not have order it and Ichiru is certainly not the one who came. NOW YOU TELL ME! Why the fuck did I let you dull my senses. Did you hear him coming? What the fuck were you thinking?"
Kaname rubbed his temples, inwardly cursing at his carelessness for not removing evidences of Gin coming by before he went to meet him.
"Zero… Did you ask him before you react like that?"
"Did not!" Zero growled, "I will go and meet him soon. If he saw or heard anything, you know what will happen… and don't you dare show your face around me for a while… Un-fucking-believable!" The peeved hunter hang up right after his threat.
Kaname stared at the phone for a moment until Ichijou snapped him out of his daze, "What was that about?" Takuma wondered as he could hear Zero's screaming over the phone.
"Rejoice my friend; your wish might come true sooner than expected." Kaname spoke with bitter sarcasm. The last thing he needed was Zero rubbing his carelessness to his face, even indirectly. Now that his head cooled down, he realized how stupid last night's actions were, how impulsively he acted and how downright immature his decision was. He could have approached it differently. Even without his powers, he should have been smart enough to deal with a nuisance otherwise. Not only did he fail, but he also gave Gin the opportunity to ruin his fragile connection with Zero. He could not believe that the fate of what they have lies in the words that the blue-haired teacher will blurt when Zero asks him about last night. Kaname screwed his eyes shut.
"You want to go talk to him." Takuma whispered, noticing the angst seeping from the pureblood's aura.
"He does not want to see my face for a while." Kaname deadpanned.
"That is not going to be possible." Takuma chuckled, earning the attention of his friend who gave him a look to elaborate. "Our destination right now will give you no other choice."
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ Back in Zero's apartment ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
Zero stood in his kitchen, staring at the food and key as if they would be blown to dust under his gaze, or disappear as a fragment of his imagination. There is no freaking way Kaname did not hear him coming, what is he playing at? damnit, I should not have agreed to that blindfold in the first place! Gin's voice was weird just now, but that may be because he just woke up.
Anger, worries and frustration boiled inside the hunter until the ringing of his phone gave him an outlet.
"WHAT?"
"What is what? You hung up like that and then your phone was busy. What is going on?" Ichiru asked, having a bad feeling from the previous phone call that Zero gave him.
"Ichiru… I don't feel like talking right now." Zero hissed.
"What happened with Gin? I assumed he stayed over when he did not come back, but you call and ask me if I gave him my key to your place…"
"Ichiru, stop it!"
"Why?"
"Because… I did not even see him or hear him when he came in. That is why!" Zero screamed.
"Were you that deep asleep?" Ichiru wondered how exhausted his brother must have been until a frustrated groan startled him.
"NO! I was just fucking somebody, which is the big deal. There you have it, happy now?"
"WHAT?!" Ichiru paled upon connecting the dots, oh shit!
"Yes Ichiru… I fucking told you to have him go back, I told you I ate a bloody dinner, I told you I was going to sleep…. but no~ you just had to be a blockhead and send him over… Well here is the deal from now on, I am not returning this key and you will never, and I say never try to set me up again. Oh! And I will never get together with Gin."
Ichiru was speechless for a moment before mumbling, "… your phone was not off…"
"Hah?"
"You did not turn off your phone, how was I supposed to know?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Geez Nii-san! You have the habit of turning off your phone whenever you are cruising." Ichiru face palmed himself for screwing up, it was not a first for Zero to ditch them for his own hobby, but still.
"Well so sorry I failed to follow a code you single-mindedly crafted in your little brain." Zero spat as he hung up again, too irritated to take anymore.
He proceeded to put whatever he could find on and leave.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ In the hotel where Gin spent the night ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
An awkward silence stretched as they both sat at the table after picking their breakfast from the open buffet of the restaurant. Zero's nerves were strained to the limits as Gin skillfully avoided divulging whether he saw or heard something the night before. The ethic teacher acted like his usual cheerful self, beaming about how happy he was about getting a sudden date with the hunter, making Zero's eyes roll in annoyance.
The human finally decided to break the silence after taking a sip of his coffee, "Ichiru told me that you were about to sleep."
Zero's hands stilled from torturing the scrambled eggs with the fork. He looked up to Gin's face, noticing the wistful expression he had.
"And?" Zero urged as he placed the fork softly.
Gin sighed at the look Zero gave him. "So~ I did my best to open the door as softly as I could and practically tiptoed inside. If I found you asleep, I planned to place the food in the fridge and leave."
Zero rubbed his temples and wiped his face before giving Gin an apologetic look. The human chuckled, "You don't have to look like that. It is my fault for not announcing myself before barging in. Still, I did not expect that you had a crossdressing hobby."
Zero's eyes widened, "Did you see? I mean… what I was…"
Gin reacted to the expected reaction, "No no! I did not make it to the source of the sound; I just saw the scattered clothes… It was already hard for me to hear he muffled sounds of pleasure knowing that the person I love is sleeping with another, I don't think I would have liked seeing the actual act." He finally eased Zero's worry judging from the way that his shoulders slumped in relief. Lucky for you Kuran that I did not want to ruin the good time Zero seemed to be having this time around. Judging from the restless phone call, the fidgety behavior and his worried look, it seems he internally wish that I did not see or hear a thing. haaa… I am really weak against that worried face! He grinned unconsciously; besides, I won't rely on methods as low as exposing the affair to make them break up so that I can woo him. It is more fun to have him choose me over Kuran, fair and square.
Zero blushed at the blunt statement, "Sorry for the awkward situation. I don't know how to apologize. I should have told Ichiru to back off more sternly… Gosh! This is weird"
Gin made fun of him for a while. "Actually" he had a serious expression all of a sudden, "I talked with Kaito before. Sorry, but I am a blabbermouth when it comes to my feelings… Anyways, he kind of advised to give up on you."
Zero nodded as he drank his juice, "You should heed his advice."
"I won't." Gin pouted, "But that is not what I wanted to say. He kind of told me that there was someone you have been seeing frequently."
Zero rolled his eyes, "Great way of making you give up!" he drawled.
"Right!" Gin snickered, "But I was wondering about it for some time… I mean… You're pretty famous for the motto of not sleeping with the same guy twice."
Zero quirked an eyebrow before sighing, "I would like to know about that as much as you do."
"Are you dating?" Gin taunted.
"Hell no!" Zero snapped, surprised that he would even consider it, "I told you a million times that I don't do relationships."
"So it is just physical."
"Obviously!"
"Was he the one with you last night?"
Zero nodded, facing his plate because of the intense look Gin was giving him.
With a clap, the grey-eyed human decided to drop the topic and have breakfast in peace. Afterward, Gin excused himself saying that he needed to go somewhere after making Zero promise to meet at K-bar later that evening.
The hunter felt like a burden lifted off his shoulder, but he was not about to let it go just like that. He immediately swung by Ichiru's to give him another lecture about his nosy habits, but ended up keeping the sulky younger twin company because Aido could not spend the entire day with him on his birthday.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ later that evening at Ichiru's house ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
"Unbelievable!" Kaito stared in disbelief at the two silverettes curled up with each other in bed.
"I have to admit that they look cute… Ah! They are waking up." Gin chuckled at the sight of a frowning Zero waking up.
"You would not say that after seeing them like this your whole life. HEY! WAKE UP YOU SHITHEADS! We have been waiting for you since an hour ago and you are snoozing here." Kaito screamed and pulled the covers.
"Shut up!" Zero groaned.
"You shut up! The birthday boys not showing up for the toast in their honor, what kind of sick joke is that."
"No birthday~" Ichiru whined,
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Kaito growled, he felt stupid for being too eager about this. It was after all their first birthday that they will celebrate together with the hazel-eyed hunter after more than a decade of separation and reuniting in the grimmest conditions possible.
"I don't want to know that I am getting one year closer to becoming old and wrinkly." Ichiru scowled as he sat on the bed with an amazing case of bed head.
"For fuck's sake." Kaito face palmed himself.
Gin finally intervened and coaxed the twins into getting ready and leave. The bickering of Ichiru and Kaito in the back seat has animated the ride to K-bar, as short as it might have been.
Zero blinked few times at the way Kaito sprinted to the bar as soon as the car stopped. Dismissing it as his way of sulking, he took his time parking and leaving with his pouting brother. Ichiru was in a super sour mood about everything because he wished to spend a special day with his lover instead.
*chime of the door opening*
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY! ZERO, ICHIRU!"
Both startled as the party popper blew in their faces, making them take two steps back. Zero scowled at the action, unlike the previously sulking Ichiru who jumped up and down before jumping Aido who was holding the nefarious object called party popper.
"Baka! Baka! Baka! Here I thought you went to your lab leaving me like that. Meanie." Ichiru scolded in the cute voice reserved only for his golden haired vampire.
"Zeroooo! Happy birthday, let papa hug you on this speci-omphh" Cross dramatic embrace was interrupted with the sole of Zero's foot connecting with his face, leaving his hands flailing without reaching the silver hunter, "Quit that, disgusting!"
All guest chuckled at the interaction, and that is when he realized the number of people coming to celebrate. The fact that the bar was empty with a closed sign outside did not go unnoticed, neither the elaborate decoration nor the colored light. How long have they been preparing for this. His violet eyes landed on the night class clique, Wakaba Sayori, Yuki and lastly Kuran Kaname. Zero did not hesitate to send him the deadliest glare before looking away.
The merry atmosphere was more cheerful thanks to the presence of a great mood booster, called Keiichi, who had a knack of stealing the limelight, until he fell asleep in Zero's arms. When the end of the party drew closer, Ichiru suggested that Zero would play some piano before opening the gifts. He wanted to have a memory of his playing since Kaien was recording the whole event.
"Are you seriously making a star of the event entertain the guests?" Gin joked, earning a dejected look from the human twin after Zero scoffed about the whole celebration being just stupid. How old do they think we are to throw a freaking birthday party! six? I swear they jump on the tiniest excuse to party lately.
"Ah! I have a great idea." Yuki raised a hand from her seat, eyes sparkling. When all eyes turned her way she pointed to Kaname who was enjoying a drink by the bar, conversing with Ryou. "Onii-sama is good at playing the piano as well; he can play something if you want. Ne?" She gave Kaname the puppy eyes look, making him swallow any refusal he was thinking of.
Red brown eyes met amethyst orbs for the briefest moment before he made his way to the grand piano. Everyone were expecting a birthday themed song to be played, but the pureblood surprised them with another nice piece. Zero scoffed softly as he placed Keiichi in the bed that Rima brought with her. The pureblood was apparently teasing him by playing the same piece as yesterday at Paradiso.
After hearing it for the second time, Zero was set on knowing the name. Since his brother had a vast directory when it comes to modern music, unlike the classic oriented hunter, Zero leaned close to ask him. However, Kaito nudged his shoulder, making him give up on the inquiry when Zero looked at his serious face.
"Hey, I forgot to tell you before. Last week, someone came looking for you, a foreigner. He asked for your address, but I told him to leave his contact and that you would call him. He did not give a good vibe so I did not want him knowing your address. He said he will be back to Japan this week, today maybe."
Zero frowned, "What was his name?"
Kaito searched inside his wallet and gave the piece of paper to his fellow hunter. Zero's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the name 'Marco', the ex-boyfriend that Ichiru sent to jail previously.
Kaito cleared his throat, not noticing the reaction of the silver haired hunter. "And, about what we agreed on?"
Zero nodded, "I already arranged my schedule for that. You can go have the sweet time you need with him."
"You're the best." Kaito tapped on Zero's shoulder in appreciation.
The hunter smirked at him, "So, how did you find your masochist side?"
Kaito glanced at him, confused so he added, "The bite that you made such elaborate arrangement for."
Kaito groaned, "Don't remind me!"
"That bad?" Zero chuckled,
"I would not know since it did not happen."
"Huh?"
"Before you throw a smart ass remark, I did tell him to do it. The reaction I got tells me never to dare say it again. I think he almost blasted me to pieces when I pushed him into it."
Zero was amazed to say the least, he expected Kaito to chicken out but never Takuma to refuse the 'meal', the next thing Kaito said raised the esteem he already had for the vampire, "He apparently never bit a human in his whole life and not planning on doing so, even if he desired my blood really badly." Kaito sighed looking at his lover who was helping the pregnant Yuki open Zero's presents.
As much as Ichiru enjoyed opening his own presents like a five years old, Zero always left the honor to his equally childish adoptive sister who would show him the presents one by one. He had to admit liking the leather jacket that Cross got him, only for it to end up a present from Yagari-sensei. That brought a sad smile on the hunter's face, for he was missing his master.
"Oh my God! These look so cool Zero!" The hunter tilted his head to see what his sister was holding. He winced internally when he saw a set of silver earrings with a small skull pattern on them matching the one Zero usually wears. Not another…
"Moriya sensei, this is such a good choice. It kind of suits his image." Zero's eyes widened when Yuki complimented the gift coming from the smiling teacher.
"Come here; let me put them on for you. It is about time you change those high school old- " Zero tried to push Yuki away but her monstrous pureblood strength allowed her to outrun him and lift the hair to uncover his right ear. Her big brown eyes grew bigger when she noticed the piece that was never there before. "When did you get this one, I had never seen it before?" She expressed her curiosity aloud, leading to others coming to have a closer look, including Gin.
"I just got it recently." He answered fast, briefly glancing in direction of the gift giver. A common speech bubble came out of two heads saying 'Kaname's gift". Takuma sighed at the antics of his friend while pitying the teacher who was obviously trying his best to woo the silver haired hunter.
On the other hand, Gin started to regret not telling Zero that he walked in on them out of spite because the pureblood just ruined the perfect gift he thought of. Both rivals exchanged a glare, although they were both disturbed by the fact that they thought of the same gift.
As blunt as usual, Kaito whistled and patted Gin's shoulder, "Sorry dude, but that thing there is just awesome."
"uhuh, for once, you managed to get something decent nii-san, about time for you to graduate from the lunatic way you dress." Ichiru had to pour oil on fire.
The party finally ended with Hanabusa offering a present to Ichiru in the form of a marriage form application according to the human law, in order for Ichiru to change his name from Kiryuu to Aido officially.
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As agreed with Kaito previously, Zero went back to Cross Academy again to take over the chairman duty for the week that Kaito is leaving with Takuma for some time away. The hazel-eyed hunter literally begged his friend to do him the favor when Takuma informed his that he was forced into taking a week-long vacation. Juggling the duties of assisting three purebloods together took a toll on him and Isaya had to step in and pull him out of the duty when he noticed how exhausted he looked during an association meeting.
The silver haired hunter resumed the job with less apprehension than when he was first wrestled into doing it by his mentor. However, somethings never change.
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The harsh slaps against his face left a dull pain as his consciousness started slipping away, his blurry eyes tried their best to focus on whoever trying to get his attention. Oh! How he wished he never had to when the vile smirk greeted him along with the fangs dripping with his blood. "Now… Now… hunter-san, I need you awake so that you scream for me as I enter you sweet virgin v-"
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"HAH!" Zero jumped on the bed, breaking in cold sweat like anytime his nightmare creeped on his peaceful sleep. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, the nauseous feeling made him rush to the bathroom to empty the content of his stomach. He rose weakly from the toilet seat he was hugging to wash his mouth.
"I look like shit." He commented on his own reflection. He felt worse when he heard Gin voice calling him for breakfast. He remembered that the teacher decided to spend the night even though his place was only a five minutes' walk away. His persistence was starting to grate on Zero's nerves.
"Good morning! Are you okay, I heard the retching…" Gin asked worriedly.
"I am fine."
"Are you sure… I heard vampires don't get-"
"I said I am fine… Do not stereotype me with the others." Zero snapped, sitting with the coffee mug in hand. He looked at the food on the table, but ended up pushing it away.
The last straw snapped when Gin started lecturing him about eating, "Look Gin! Whatever you are trying to do, it won't work. I will cut the chase and get to the point. I do not appreciate you hogging my private space, imposing things on me and all this… this… whatever you call it. You like me, I get it. I let it go for the sake of our friendship, but if you go on acting like this. I might have to discard even that."
Zero felt bad for dampening the older man's mood, but he could take no more of it after waking up on the wrong side that morning. Luckily, Gin was as understanding as usual and acted with more caution around the cranky hunter. Zero went on with his day, the routine of the time he worked here kicked fast. Everything went well except the irritation of having to work with Kaname due to the absence of the ash blond noble.
"You don't look so good?" The brunet commented on the paler than normal skin.
"You are the last one I want to hear that from." Zero mumbled as he signed the paper that he handed to the pureblood in a not so gentle manner. Kaname quirked an eyebrow. "Don't ask, don't talk, just go. I seriously don't want to remember more irritating matters that will come up with you."
Kaname agreed reluctantly, knowing from experience that he would not get anywhere with Zero when the hunter is in one of those foul mood.
The workload was not that much thankfully, thus, Zero packed to go back and get more than the half an hour sleep he had been surviving on all day long.
Unfortunately, the day was just getting worse for the hunter. In front of Cross's house, Zero saw a figure he recognized too well. He was about to turn around and flee when a thick American accent reached his ear, "Isn't it rude to turn around after seeing my face, sweetheart!"
Fuck my life!
The silver haired ex-human turned to face a page of his life that he wished to erase, "Marco…" he hissed.
"Happy to see me aren't you?…" The taller man approached the hunter in a casual fashion as if they were together an hour ago.
"Yeah right!" Zero scoffed as he crossed his arms, "What is your business here?" he got right to the point.
"Aww… Not gonna offer me a drink, for old times sake?" He purred as he leaned closer to the retreating hunter.
Just when Zero was about to retort, a baritone voice echoed in time with a hand that gripped the intruder's shoulder, "It is very obvious that you are not welcome inside, Mr! I advise you to state your business as he requested." Zero had hard time believing that the fluent serious English was spoken by Gin who was towering over Marco.
An irrelevant observation flashed through the hunter's head, Okay… Gin is seriously huge! I mean… Marco is lean and above average in height, but he looks scrawny besides him. Zero frowned trying to picture how he actually looks next the grey-eyed man.
The sly smile on Marco's face disappeared instantly when faced with the fierce look Gin gave him. "Relax man, I am not trying to hit on him if you are his man." He tested
Seeing that Zero did not bother denying told Gin that the hunter wanted nothing more than to get rid of the foreigner.
"What is your business then…" He took over the conversation while Zero steeled his nerve, hugging his arm.
"I just… I just wanted to chat and… apologize for wronging him in the past… nothing more… You know getting on better terms."
"How did you assume that I might want to have anything to do with you anymore?" Zero hissed, seeing through the bullshit of his ex-boyfriend.
"Come on… We were young and made mistakes, the both of us." Marco empathized on the last part to remind Zero of his unfaithfulness. " I just wanted to turn a new leaf, it is actually part of my rehab."
Zero sighed and dropped his once crossed arms, "There is no new leaf to turn here Marco, if you came all the way here just for that, then I am sorry to tell you that your trip wasn't worth it. Let's both forget we ever met and go on with our life without having anything to do with each other. I hold no grudge against you, so you can take that as part of your rehab and go." Zero explained and pointed to the way leading to the campus gate.
The offended foreigner let out a sneer akin to disgust, "Oh really! That is good to hear, but do you think I have no grudge against you ether?"
Zero stiffened at the chilling tone,
"In fact, Tiera told me an interesting story when she came to spit on my face in prison-"
"That is enough." Gin grabbed the collar of the annoying man and pulled him up a little to frighten him, "No one here is interested in hearing your bullshit, Scram!" The threatening tone left no room for argument in the cowardly mind of the unwanted guest.
"Fine!" Marco screamed back and yanked Gin's hand away, he pointed to Zero, showing his true colors before leaving, "This isn't over Z."
Life seriously sucks, Zero thought as he watched the man stomp away. Gin merely looked at him, waiting for a reaction. Dull amethyst eye met his before Zero made his way to the house, making sure that Gin does not follow, "I will not talk about it if that is what you are wondering. I will deal with my issues myself." he paused before turning his head sideway to look at the teacher, "But thanks for coming to my rescue, there." He was truly thankful because he was too shaken up to see Marco so soon that he had no confidence he would have handled the pushy man well.
"You're welcome!" Gin grinned before waving and parting ways with Zero.
The rest of the day was as peaceful as it could be for Zero as long as he had some quality time with his best friend, white lily. He was grateful to the loyalty of the horse. Liking the way she would welcome him in her usual gruff attitude.
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Just as he said, Marco made sure to come and pester the silverette, again. Zero expected it since he figured that the guy did not change much even after getting sacked. They finally tied any loose ends and came to the mutual agreement of butting out of each other's life. After he left, Zero felt drained. Not only did not get enough sleep, his nightmares plagued more than before, more vivid than usual, thus, more sickening. He opened the top buttons of his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair. How am I going to go through with this week?
Zero's anxiety started to subside by Wednesday. The fact that Marco did not call back and that neither Kaname nor Gin came his way, abiding by his request helped a lot. However, He woke up that day feeling feverish despite the cold snowy weather outside. Great, that is just what I needed right now!
He flung the covers and got ready to tackle yet another day of annoying paperwork swearing never to substitute again.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ Wednesday evening ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
"Moriya-sensei! How come you never tell us about your wife, some rumors around say the ring is just for show~" Zero rolled his eyes upon listening to the squeal of the day class girls a distance away from where he was. Zero used every spare minute to spend time with White Lily ever since the caretaker told him how restless she was. The horse neighed as he brushed her light colored hair, "That's a good girl, everything is going to be alright." he patter her swollen abdomen, "I guess you share something in common with Yuki." he chuckled, "Although she would not be happy if I were to say it."
His mind wandered to a brown haired pureblood whom he had been pushing away for a while. He felt a pang of regret, but tried not to dwell on it by deciding to call him over as soon as he gets back to his place.
"Come on girls~ it is about time you go to your dorms. I will not discuss my private life with a bunch of wet behind the ears teenagers, in ten years later maybe." Gin finally chased away the starry-eyed teenagers as soon as he caught glimpse of the silverette outside the stable. He joined him, staying behind the fences as soon as the white horse gave him a warning sound and a stomp.
"It is amazing that they kept such a wild mare in a school establishment. Wouldn't Cross have issues with the authority since they put the safety of the students first." Gin commented.
Zero sighed, "He probably does." The hunter would deny such an accusation any other day before he took the Chairman position a while ago. He unconsciously smiled when he remembered the papers of reports and the penalties that the ex-hunter paid on each inspection for keeping the so-called "horse from hell". Zero could easily figure out the reason behind paying those amounts of money and keeping it a secret all these years instead of getting rid of the horse.
Seeing that it was almost nighttime and that Lily has calmed down considerably, Zero joined Gin for a stroll across the forest to the lake.
"Did that man come to bother you again after that day?" Gin could not help but ask. The question was eating at him.
"You don't have to be so nervous." Zero chuckled, pointing to Gin's left hand. "You tend to turn that ring with your thumb when you are."
Gin raised both eyebrows, "Observant aren't we."
Zero shrugged in response, "Occupational hazard. It is fine, we settled things like the adults we are, daddy."
Gin scoffed, "Why do I seem to doubt the 'adult' term when you are the one claiming it."
"Oi! You can say that only if you were over a decade older than me, which you are not. So shut up."
"Zero~! Moriya-sensei~!" The cheery voice of Yuki made both heads turn in the direction of the voice. Zero could not help the snort that escaped him when the pregnant pureblood came closer. He had to cover his mouth to muffle the chuckle that threatened to erupt into a loud laughter.
Yuki caught on the action and jabbed him with difficulty, her cheeks already puffed up and mouth pouting. "Can you be anymore insensitive, jerk!"
Zero finally burst in laughter for some time. It calmed down when Kaname joined them, but his lips were still quivering, "But… You…pfft… Nevermind."
"Come out and say it, that I look like a whale." Yuki scoffed.
"I was going to say a ball of fur, but that seems more fitting." Zero teased. He really could not help it when Yuki was stuffed in multiple layers of clothes, a beanie, ear protections, gloves, and God only knows what else that made her look twice her original size, which was by no means small with her pregnant belly.
The remark earned a kick in the shin. "I would not have to go through this if not because of my pregnancy." Yuki whined. Her body became more sensitive to the weather than when she was a human and she was greatly displeased with the fact.
"Why are you wandering outside if you cannot handle the cold then?" Gin asked curiously.
Yuki blew hot air in her covered palms and covered her nose as she answered, "I got bored with staying indoor all the time, and the doctor said that walking around might help my labor. however, since onii-sama does not allow me to go out unattended, I ambushed him and had him come with me."
"Hmm? You sure have it tough." Yuki nodded, Gin grinned and leaned closer to her, "Actually, to speed up the labor, you can also use the method of-" *BANG*
"Ouch!" Gin held the back of his head and looked at Zero with teary eyes.
"Zero, why did you have to hit him?" Yuki scolded him as she extended her hand to check for any bumps on the crouching man's head.
"I will have you know that I held back, considering what this sleazy pervert was about to say."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Yuki gave them a clueless look, making Zero slap his own face for forgetting how obtuse his sister can get when it comes to dirty insinuations. The same thought flashed through the three males' heads, too innocent!
"That was mean Zero~" Gin whined dramatically, making a silver eyebrow twitch in annoyance, but then he turned to look at the indifferent brunet standing next to his pregnant partner, "Then again, maybe I should have given the advice to the father instead. About the ways to ease her frustration and induce labors." Gin drawled it to the point that even the obtuse Yuki figured out what he meant, turning beet red at the insinuation.
Kaname answered with an unaffected straight face, "I am sure that Yuki would request it if there is a way for me to help, like the walk today. You do not have to worry about how we deal with matters like this."
The grey-eyed teacher was about to taunt the pureblood more, but was rewarded with a jab from the silverette that made his big form double over, "That seriously hurt. What is the big deal! I am just joking around, aren't we all adults here?"
"Except that the one you are talking about is my sister, blockhead!" Zero growled, his cheek heating up while pointing in Yuki's direction. He really did not need to hear about such things either.
Yuki's chuckle interrupted the bickering, "You two get along surprisingly well."
Zero frowned, "How the hell did you come to such conclusion?"
Yuki tilted her head, "Am I wrong? You seem to be enjoying yourself around Moriya-san. Not to mention that you allow him to call you on first name basis," she noted.
Zero sighed, "This guy gets on first name with anyone five minutes after talking to them." Gin was about to interject but Yuki beat him to it.
"But you don't seem to mind It." she added
Zero clammed up.
"Is it that rare?" Gin inquired curiously.
Yuki tapped a finger against her lips and nodded, pointing to Zero, "There are people who have known this guy since middle school and they still call him Kiryuu, and if they dared go to first name basis, this guy gives them that cold glare of his like this" Yuk tried to mimic the glare " and make them regret it. I swear that look says, 'who do you think you are acting all chummy with me, Die!'"
"You're over exaggerating." Zero deadpanned.
the pregnant brunette put her hands on her no longer existing hips, "Oh really? Onii-sama, how about you try it?" She winked at Kaname who gave a small mischievous smile that made Zero's heart skip a beat. Don't you dare!
"Sure. Since you are saying that she is exaggerating, you should not mind me calling you Zero from now on. Zero." The pureblood purposely made the name roll in an overly familiar manner. Three pairs of wide eyes looked his way.
"Creepy!" Zero scrunched his face, squared his shoulders and took a step back. Kaname quirked an eyebrow at the reaction.
"That is rude Zero," Gin teased, "I would say that it sounded a bit unnatural." Red-brown eyes sent him a murderous look.
"Umm… Sorry onii-sama, I should not have forced you into something you are not comfortable with." Yuki patted his shoulder, "Promise me that you will keep calling him the way you did all these years. I hate to say this, but it did sound creepy." Both Zero and Yuki nodded at the same time.
Kaname shrugged, satisfied with the reaction he received, although it irked him to be called creepy. He won't have to give a lecture about acting too familiar later at least.
"What are you doing out here anyway?" Yuki asked the two men.
"We are ta-" Zero started, but Gin interrupted him.
"I am actually trying my best to court this brother of yours," he announced pointing to Zero. A sudden silence followed with a whoosh of cold wind greeted the declaration before the shrill voice of Yuki broke in a squeal with her hands covering her mouth later.
Zero and Kaname watched as the brown-haired woman made the disturbing action that was meant to be an exciting jumping. Furious amethyst eyes met amused grey eyed orbs.
"Oh my God! Since when?" Yuki squealed more, making Zero cringe.
"He rejected me though…" Gin gave her a dejected puppy look, internally amused at the frustration that the brown haired man should be feeling right about then.
Yuki jabbed Zero to make him snap out of his murderous thoughts, "Have you even given any thoughts about it before rejecting him. I am so sure you didn't."
"Oi!" Zero glowered down at her, "It is none of your business, and you better watch that mouth of yours." pointing to Gin.
"What is your reason then?" Yuki insisted.
Zero remained silent, ignoring the sister.
"It is not like you have someone you love last time I checked." She probed more while fuming, "And here I thought that you two would make such a great couple."
Kaname failed to notice the brief glance of amethyst eyes gave him while he was trying his best not to rip the arm that Gin placed on Zero's shoulder.
"I may not, but that does not mean I have to accept." Zero snapped,
"Why not? What does he lack?" Yuki retorted, forgetting about the two other men standing with them as she fell into the usual bickering with her brother, "You are always like that… Give me one reason why you would not consider him… good looking, scholar, and aware of the fact that you are a vampire while being human. Aren't you always saying that you will never settle with a vampire and a human won't be able to bear your burden-"
"For fuck's sake! What are you? my mother?" Zero growled, he looked at Gin, "Good job trying to get her blessing smarty pants because you lost all chances you might have had left. This is so stupid! I am outta here" He snapped at him and turned around, stomping away from the group.
"Wait Zer-" Yuki called out, flustered by the realization that she might have said too much and made things worse. Gin tapped on her shoulder, smiling, "No worries, Yuki-chan. It is not like I will give up just from that." he winked at her, "I am glad that you are not against it though."
Yuki shrugged, "I can't believe how stubborn he can get. As happy as I am, I can't help but pity you for falling for him."
Kaname tuned out their chattering in favor of following the hunter with his gaze, his lips curled up slightly when the moonlight reflected the glint of silver.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ Later that night ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
He sensed his presence before hearing the unlocked door opening. Too tired to get up from the couch in the middle of the dark living room, he grumbles, "What brings you here?"
"Have you eaten already?"
"No, and I don't have the energy to cook anything it that is what you came for. Go ask your chef to make you something, King of vampires!" Zero bit sarcastically, curling more in his position as the sickening feeling increased.
Kaname ignored the remark and disappeared into the kitchen. The hunter's ear twitched at the sound of the rattling utensils and the stove being turned on. Moments later, he heard the sizzling before the smell of sautéed vegetables hit his nose.
He picked his groggy form and made his way to the source of the mouthwatering smell. In the kitchen, the regal pureblood was cutting ingredients and putting them in a pot, adding spices and water according to a paper stuck on the wall in front of him. While the smell distracted the hunter standing by the door, the whistle of the kettle startled him.
Long fingers gripped the handle and poured the boiling water into Zero's mug, adding an herbal infusion as well as one teaspoon of sugar. With the mug in hand, Kaname moved towards the hunter, took his hand and guided him to sit at the table, "Here, drink this and relax until dinner is ready, I will be right back."
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ TBC ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
As I mentioned, this was a bit of a filler, I personally did not enjoy writing it as much as the previous chapters, but I found the transition to the next one too abrupt and confusing if I did not elaborate on few ideas in this one.
A little hint for future chapters, Ai's birth will happen in the next couple of chapters. I assume you can guess what that means XD
I quote eboneykg's review for this. *wink*
'OMG IT'S ABOUT TO GO DOWN'
Thank you all for reading XD