Continuation of the previous chapter
I am trying my best to reply to every review through pm, but I would like to thank those who do not have an account such as TEE for writing such motivating reviews, I hope I am not missing anyone. Except for mi5tan, I tried to answer some of your questions through pm but it was disabled, dear! I don't know if it was on purpose, just wanted to point it out :p
Warning for future chapters: For those who are sensitive to angst and drama, there will be a lot of those coming up, better be careful :p. Meanwhile enjoy the fluffiness while it last XD
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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."
Zero stared at the retreating figure, puzzled about what the vampire was up to. The smell of the warm drink in his hands tempted him. He took a careful sip and liked it. "Chamomile tea, huh." He started feeling warmer and more relaxed, the pain in his lower back receding a little.
About twenty minutes later, that felt like seconds to the dazed hunter, Kaname came back and started placing the silverware in place for dinner. Zero offered to help but he refused categorically. They had vegetable soup for dinner that Zero could not help but feel nostalgic about its taste. It reminded him very much of his moms. "My hormones must be going nuts if I am being sissy about a stew, gotta check the blood tests with Hanabusa sometime soon."
After dinner, Kaname shooed Zero back to the living room while he cleared the table and washed the dishes. The hunter was in for another surprise, the bed section of the sofa was pulled, and a futon with pillows and covers were laid on top of it. Not to mention the heater beside it. "What is going on here? Did that guy hit his head somewhere?"
Despite the grumbling, he did not hate the setup, so he snuggled under the covers and made himself comfortable, enjoying the warmth. Kaname soon joined him under the covers, spooning him from behind. The action made the hunter jump in surprise and get away to the other side of the couch, "What do you think you are doing?"
Kaname gave him a quizzical look, "What does it look like? Hugging you."
Zero's mouth flapped like a fish before formulating words, "Wha… What has gotten into you today, you let yourself in as if you own the place, make dinner tea, prepare this this place… AND HUGGING ME?...HERE? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"
"So you don't like it." Kaname pointed.
"No!... it's not like I hate it… it's just that…" Zero rubbed his temple before placing an arm on the sofa, softly touching Kaname's hand "You do realize where we are…"
Kaname chuckled slightly at the way Zero was trying to explain as if the brunet was a little kid, is this his method of settling things peacefully?
Zero ignored the action and continued, "I meant that anyone can come knock and there will be no time to clear anything out… I thought I told you not to-"
"Not to approach you on campus. Yes I know," Kaname finished his sentence, "But I did not come here for that, I just wanted some company and there is no one around that you should worry about."
Zero frowned, "What do you mean?"
"Well, Yuki just left with Ruka and Rima as soon as class finished. She said that they are going to this hot spring nearby because it might help with the labor."
Zero laughed at that, "She is really desperate to pop the girl out, isn't she."
"Apparently. As you know, Ichijou and Takamiya-kun are away. Aido is at your twin's place and I saw that teacher leaving a while ago. Now, who are you worrying about?" Kaname tilted his head with one of his gentle smiles.
"So you were lonely and bored. Thus decided to come on a whim." Zero teased as he made his way back near the brunet.
"Can't you indulge me?" Kaname whispered in his ear while pulling him in the spooning position he intended from the start.
"Do we have to be like this?" The hunter grumbled as Kaname made him use his arm as a pillow.
"Won't you indulge me on this whim as well, besides, I need to keep you warm."
Out of retort, Zero relaxed into the embrace. He would never admit it out loud that he liked the snuggling and comfortable warmth that came with it.
"What's on?" He asked when Kaname switched on the TV and started switching channels.
"Might as well watch something." The pureblood answered as soon as he found a movie that just started.
"Kaname…"
"hmm?..."
"That soup. Where did you get the recipe from?" Zero asked hesitantly as he turned around to face the pureblood. Kaname had his chin resting on Zero's shoulder.
"Oh! Did you like it?" Kaname let out a lazy smile when Zero nodded, "Did it remind you of the past."
Amethyst eyes widened at that, "How did you know? Rather, how did you get your hands on it?"
"Not telling." Kaname teased.
"Kaname~" Zero pleaded, bumping their nose together in a cute nudge.
"Fine! I got it from your brother. Ah! Before you freak out on me again, it is not what you think. When you were stubbornly avoiding anything related to Cross Academy, Yuki had this nostalgia about that soup. She said that when you started cooking, it was in effort to recreate the taste of the dish that your late mother enjoyed making. When she told Ichiru, he happened to have collected some things from the last house you lived in. He also found your mother's recipe book. That is how I got my hands on a poorly written copy of it."
Zero swallowed before speaking, "So that is why he gave me that book. but…" He looked into red-brown eyes, his hand played with the brown lock that it could reach, "Even with the recipe, I could not reproduce the same taste or even close. It always had something missing…. Unlike today." He tilted his head and brushed his lips against the silken one of the pureblood in a gentle kiss before facing the TV. A soft 'Thank you' was mumbled against the arm he was using as a pillow.
Sleep claimed Zero barely five minutes after the movie started. Kaname smiled at the sleeping beauty in his arms and pulled him closer. He carefully caressed his cheek, frowning at the dark circles under his eyes. His eyes wandered toward his collarbone where the silver chain rested. "You looked like you were about to collapse the whole day. Yet, you never ask for help and endured the pain alone in this cold dark room." Kaname whispered, knowing that the hunter was too deep asleep to wake up. He sighed as he nuzzled the nape of his neck while staring at the TV without really watching the movie. Memories of the other night came rushing back and a sad smile traced his lips. How I wished that my seed found root inside you that night! How I wished that the mistake would turn into my hope of making you mine, to show you how much I love you knowing that our child is growing inside of you. I would trade anything I cherish for that moment… He sighed, hugging the silverette closer; I guess a dream will be just that, a dream.
Midway through the movie, the sleepy hunter started to get cramps and stirring from the pain. Kaname noticed the strained expression on his face, so he started rubbing his lower abdomen in a soothing manner while kissing the nape of his neck to get him to relax.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ The next day, early morning ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
Amethyst eyes fluttered open. The comfortable warmth wrapped around him made him unable to let go of his sleepiness. He snuggled closer to the pleasant heat, filling his lungs with the ambrosial smell until his blurry vision materialized the source in the form of an ethereally handsome man. It took some time for Zero to realize that, somewhere in the middle of the night, he climbed on top of Kaname and slept flat against his chest. Kaname was holding him close and Zero did not hesitate to nuzzle his collarbone and kiss the thin skin where he knew the pureblood liked it.
"Mornin'" he finally mumbled while placing his palm on firm chest and resting his chin against them to look closely into amused red-brown eyes.
"Good morning! Feeling better?" Kaname greeted back, rubbing Zero's lower back. He smiled at the energetic nod of the hunter. The latter stared at the relaxed brunet who did not seem to mind the extra weigh on top of him, Why is it that I can sleep so well when he is around? It was such a good sleep to boot, no freaky dreams. I want to sleep some more like this.
Zero was feeling his eyelid getting heavier as he wished for another hour of comfortable sleep in the brunet's arm.
"I guess it is time for some coffee to remind you that you have to go to the office in sometime." Kaname nudged his cheek to prevent him from falling asleep again.
"Ugh! I still have two more hours, just a little more." Zero whined.
"I would love to, but I am the one who has to leave soon, unfortunately." Kaname had two minds about cancelling the meeting he had in half an hour after seeing Zero acting so cuddly and cute.
"No~ I want to… some more…" Zero mumbled as he snuggled in his neck.
Minutes later, the hunter startled at the aromatic smell of coffee, his head snapped up, eyes bulging out when he saw the strangest thing coming out of the kitchen. It was a black shadow in the form of a man holding two mugs of steamy fresh coffee.
"What the?" The hunter could not get his slack jaw to straighten up. The shadow came their way and placed the mugs on the coffee table before vanishing.
Kaname shrugged while he helped the stunned silver haired hunter into a sitting position, "Since you seemed too comfortable, I sent my familiar to prepare breakfast instead of waking you up."
"Quite convenient." Zero scoffed as he reached for the mug. A strange sensation prickled his senses when he extended his hand; he retracted it quickly and scowled at the confused pureblood. Kaname understood the reaction when he saw Zero patting his chest, "You looked uncomfortable in your sleep, so I took the liberty to unzip it. It is not like I never saw them, so no need to stifle yourself."
Silver eyebrow rose, "Oh really?" Zero bit sarcastically while fumbling and zipping the sport bra camouflaging his swollen chest.
Kaname chuckled, "I would not take advantage of the sick and unconscious"
Zero rolled his eyes and reached to take the mug again, "Who knows about that, it would not surprise me seeing the creepy way you have been acting lately."
Brown eyebrow twitched and full lips pursed before the mug was snatched on time. Zero protested when he saw his coffee going in the other direction and the pureblood grabbing his waist so he could not reach it. Kaname made sure to place the mug safely on the table before giving the hunter a dark look, "I have been hearing that unpleasant word quite often lately. I guess I should prevent you from saying it ever again."
Zero gulped, knowing the look that promised quite a bit of torture before he yelped, "Woah…" Kaname flipped their position and, "Bwaahhhahahahahaah… stop…hahahhahaha…Kana..ah… ufff" Zero struggled as the pureblood tickled his sensitive sides relentlessly, "A punishment for that foul mouth of yours." Kaname grunted, slapping Zero's hands every time the hilariously laughing hunter tried to stop him. "Okay! Okay! I am sorry! you haahahahh… Oh God! you are not… pffff… not a creep…."
The struggle finally ended with an out of breath Zero and a smirking pureblood trapping him on his lap against the couch. Their ragged breath puffed against their close faces. The flushed cheeks and glassy violet eyes always did it for the pureblood, making him lean it to steal a kiss from the seductively parted lips.
"What am then?" Kaname whispered, amused by the helplessness of the hunter.
"Pervert." Zero deadpanned, pointing to the hand that was crawling under his shirt, "Stop whatever you are thinking about."
Kaname shut him up with another kiss and another warning tickle, "Just a pervert?"
Zero flinched and glared into wine orbs, "Kaname."
"Answer and I will stop. What am I to you?"
The pleading look in those eyes told the hunter that he was not playing around, he averted the gaze, suddenly feeling trapped. "What do you mean?"
"Do you still see me as the arrogant pureblood you-"
"NO. I guess not." Zero mumbled,
"Then what?"
"What brought this on all of a sudden?" Zero snapped, pushing on the unmoving chest of the brunet.
"Just curious."
Zero threw his head on the back of the couch, letting out an exasperated breath, "I don't know…"
"What is my status in the pyramid of your relationships right now?" Kaname probed in a sarcastic manner
Zero scoffed, "You should know that already."
Kaname sighed, "Last time I checked, you considered me as a sex friend."
"Obviously."
"Which means that I am the same as any other man you slept with." every word he said himself cut through him like a sharp knife.
The statement got Zero thinking, "I don't think so… More like… special kind of sex friend… I guess"
"Hmm?" The curious tone startled the silverette, making him realize that he voiced his thoughts aloud. His face flushed more and he stammered, reluctant about saying what was on his mind but felt compelled to do so when facing the eager expression on the brunet's face.
"I do not usually sleep with the same guy twice… With you, I just can't bring myself to follow that rule obviously… and… I kind of feel more comfortable with you… even with you being a vampire and a pureblood to boot… even I can't explain why is that, but … that is how things are…. Uhm… wipe that cre- silly grin off your face. Piss me off!" Zero warned before covering the pureblood's smiling mouth with his palm.
Although Kaname wanted to hear more of how Zero felt about him, he felt like he could be satisfied with that answer for now. He decided against pushing the silverette farther and ruin the good mood they had going. His wandering hands reached the rim of the elastic fabric while the hunter was off guard. A mischievous smile traced his lips again, "Say Zero, how long do they usually stay this 'perky'" he whispered against the hunter's ear while brushing his fingers against the clothed small mounds.
Zero flinched and stopped the hands hidden under his shirt, "Stop doing that! They last until this thing finishes, for couple of days maximum. It should be gone by tomorrow."
"Then, I better take the chance." Kaname announced as he started lifting Zero's shirt. The silver haired ex-human panicked when he realized his intentions and started pulling the fabric down, "NO! Stop! Damnit…. Don't look, it's disgusting!"
Kaname halted his movement and looked at the petrified hunter, "What are you saying?"
Zero snarled, "I am saying it is disgusting, why would you want to look at such a thing." Kaname placed a finger on the hunter's mouth, hardly keeping himself from laughing.
"Zero, do you remember when I walked in on you in that bathroom?" Kaname pointed to the door to a not so far away memory. Zero groaned and nodded, hating to remember such a thing.
"Do you know the reason I acted so impulsively, back then?" He asked and got a confused look followed by a mumble, "The scent of blood?"
Kaname shook his head, "It is true that the scent of blood worried me, but I reacted to seeing you, naked. I jumped in to prevent you from hiding. I did it because for a second, I was mesmerized by you." He whispered and placed a kiss on the forehead of the surprised hunter, "That is simply because you were that beautiful… Alluring… I do remember telling you this before but I will repeat it… My desire for you will never cease or dwindle no matter how your body might change. I would still want to embrace you, always."
Zero felt his heart beat faster as he blushed furiously, unexplained knots formed in his stomach "What kind of soap opera did you watch, it's creepy"…
Kaname growled while raising an eyebrow at the violet eyes, which were looking elsewhere acting all innocent. He let it go this time knowing that it was a way for the hunter to retaliate from embarrassment. His lips attacked the exposed neck for him to ravish with kisses while his hands pulled away the reluctant ones of the hunter from his chest. Zero sighed as soft lips traced his neck and traveled up to his ear, "I am just going to look. I won't do anything unpleasant. You trust me?"
Feeling Kaname unbutton his pajama top while asking for permission, Zero leaned back on the couch, looking away from the intense gaze of the red brown eyes.
He flinched slightly when he felt the zipper being undone, so he screwed his eyes shut, not wanting to see any hint of disgust from what Kaname was seeing. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Zero was not willing to believe that there would be anyone who could accept the changes that occurred occasionally to the body he had been so ashamed of. However, Kaname's words got under his skin, and he could not suppress the desire of getting accepted for who he is, even if the fear was greater than the hope.
His hands clutched the covers under him when he caught the hitch in Kaname's throat. I knew it!
He was about to open his eyes and cover himself from the eyes of the disgusted vampire, when a jolt like an electric shock ran through his body. His back arched away from the couch in surprise from the warm sensation that covered his nub. His eyes shot open and looking down at the mussed brown hair tickling his chest area.
"Kana.. ah! What are you doing" The flustered hunter grabbed the brown head and made him look up to face him.
Kaname licked his lips and smirked, brushing the back of his finger against the abused nipple, "What does it look like?"
"You said that you won't do-"
"Unpleasant things. That is what I said. You don't seem like you hate this." He finished as he kneaded and pinched, earning a gasp from the worrying silverette. He kissed the lips of the hunter to prevent him from biting on them anymore, and then whispered, "I will try my best not to go further."
The brown head dipped again and kissed Zero's chest bone before going side way to torture the other nub. Zero watched as long fingers cupped the small swelling, how the tongue flicked, sending shivers through his skin, followed by the jolt of a teethed bite that was soothed by gentle sucking. A chuckle escaped the hunter, He looks like a big child. Kaname startled at the hands messing with his hair and caressing his back as if encouraging his action. He smiled and reveled in the taste that he loved, enjoying the musky scent while replaying the few words that probably did not mean much for the hunter, "I feel more comfortable with you".
The door opening and Gin calling out for Zero suddenly interrupted their intimacy. Zero's head snapped to the direction of the voice wide-eyed. Slow footsteps were making their way inside while the hunter was panicking. He was pushing Kaname to move and whispering for him to leave as not to get caught, unaware of his own state. As much as Kaname felt like snapping the head of the human, he was not about to make the same mistake twice. In speedy blurry movements, he fixed Zero's clothes and camouflaged the mounds that he was certain to be the only one to witness, and vanished.
Gin reached the living room to find Zero in an awkward position. His silver head dangling from the edge of the couch and his legs up as if he tripped and fell over nothing. Damn you Kaname and your creepy powers!
"H..Hey!" He stammered, raising a greeting hand before fixing his position.
"Good morning!" Gin answered, brows knitted at the sight, "I was passing by to my place and smelled the coffee, so I wanted to see if you wanted company for breakfast. Aren't you up a bit early today?" Zero cleared his throat, cursing inwardly for forgetting the newly acquired habit of having breakfast with the teacher ever since he started working at the Academy.
"Speak for yourself," Zero answered, "Isn't a bit late to be coming back home now?"
Gin chuckled and shook his head, "I woke up early for an extra hour of running. I skipped on my routine the day before and needed to pay the penalty." He explained. That is when Zero noticed that he was wearing a tracking suit.
"I am going to wash my face, you can help yourself to the coffee, and I will join you in a bit." He pointed to the kitchen as he got up in direction of the bathroom.
Gin watched him until he closed the door. His eyes then scanned the room and the cozy set up, without missing the presence of two mugs of coffee on the table. He touched them to make sure that they were still warm. He bit the inside of his jaw to keep himself in check, knowing what the scene meant.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ In the bathroom ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
Zero leaned on the sink, feeling his heart about to jump out of his place. He felt the arms circling his waist and a kiss placed on the nape of his neck. He let out a long sigh and let his hand join those of the pureblood. He craned his head to steal an awkward kiss, "It is terrifying how used I am getting to you hugging me out of nowhere."
Kaname chuckled, and turned the hunter around for a better comforting hug, "Don't scare me like that again." Zero grumbled. He got the apology he needed from the pureblood along with few tender kisses that relaxed him.
Their proximity allowed Zero to notice that Kaname was excited, rubbing against his thigh. He should have been angry, but the warm feeling overwhelming him was unexplained. He teased the pureblood, offering a helping hand but Kaname refused, "I will take my fill of you when you are feeling better. I won't be able to hold back once you get me started, you know that."
"hmm… Why do I get the feeling that you always hold back then?" Zero inquired, earning a surprised look from the vampire. He added, "I can count the times that you seemed to give it your all on one hand."
Kaname bit his own lips to suppress a baffled laugh, "Maybe because I want to embrace for a longer time rather than have you pass out on me in the middle."
"Bragging much…" Zero rolled his eyes on him.
"More like care much, about your pleasure." Kaname stated, shutting any smart comeback with a kiss.
"I am sure that Yuki would request it if there is a way for me to help, like the walk today"
The sight of Gin somehow reminded Zero of an unpleasant piece of information that he felt the nagging need to ask about, "Say, Kaname! That labor inducing method Gin was teasing about." Kaname stiffened at the mention of his newest archenemy, "Are you… I mean"
Amused brown eyebrow rose, "Are you asking if I am sleeping with Yuki?"
Zero looked away, and Kaname felt his heart jumping. "I am not." he answered his own question, "I am not sleeping with her and she never asked for such a thing. Why did you need to know such a thing? I thought you did not want to bring up my relation with Yuki when we are together."
Zero rubbed his neck, feeling cornered again without knowing the reason for such a sensation, "It would be too weird for me to be with you while suspecting that you are sleeping with her. I don't know, it feels stupid seeing that you two are… you know… I just don't like it."
Kaname smiled and was about to explain something when Gin knocked on the door. I swear I might kill this pest one day. Zero chuckled softly at the way Kaname uncharacteristically rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Zero, is everything all right?"
"Yeah, sorry, I am coming out now." he turned to whisper, "Time for you to go."
"Do you need to have breakfast with him?" Kaname was holding back from telling him to kick him out, but Zero understood the message and smirked, "It is not like you could stay and eat with me. I do appreciate some company and free food." he gave him a tongue out before escaping from the bathroom. Kaname growled and left for his quarter to prepare his meeting.
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The breakfast finished in a pleasant silence and Gin was about to go get ready for work if not for the bell ringing. Zero answered the door, knowing it was none of the Campus' residents since most of them do not care about such etiquette for this house. A middle-aged man stood at the porch with a police badge held up, "Good morning Cross-san. Sorry to intrude on you early in the morning, I am detective Yamada from the crime division of the police department. We are here looking for a teacher that works in your establishment. He goes by the name of Moriya Gin. Would you please guide us to his residence, if you don't mind?"
Gin was already behind the wide-eyed hunter when the detective introduced himself and the purpose of his visit. As soon as he recognized the face, handcuffs were pulled and strapped on the still stunned teacher. "Moriya-san, you are under the arrest for the murder of "Marco XXX", you …"
Zero jumped in immediately when hearing the accusation, "Wait a minute! What is going on here?" The detective explained that the ex-boyfriend was killed two days ago in his hotel room and the investigation revealed evidence incriminating Gin. Zero would not have any of it and tried to reason with them, but Gin calmed him down saying that resistance will make it worse, and that he will go settle the false accusation at the station.
The hunter allowed it on the condition of joining them shortly after. He ran up to the room, threw whatever clothes he could find, and sprinted to his car. Halfway to the station, his phone rang.
"Nii-san!" the panicked voice of Ichiru alarmed him more,
"What?"
"I am on my way to Cross right now and I got a call from Ryou-san saying that some detective came looking for you at my bar, they wanted to take you in for testimonial. Did you know that Marco came to Japan?"
"Fuck… Yes! I know; I am on my way to the station right now. They arrested Gin as a suspect."
"What? Why? How?"
"Beats me! Ichiru, I am hanging up, meet me up at the station."
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ At the station ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
The grey-eyed teacher was dying to get back for a shower and a fresh change of clothes. The handcuffs were biting his wrists and the detective interrogating him did not seem to care when he asked to loosen them up.
He stared at the person who was taking his sweet pleasure stretching the interrogation. "So, Mr. Moriya, you are saying that this handkerchief stained with the victim's blood that we found with your fingerprints on it was thrown after a bar fight you had with the deceased victim?" Came the same question the detective asked six times already.
"Yes!"
"The reason for the fight?"
"He insulted a friend of mine and would not stop even after I warned him. Due to the alcohol in my system, I acted impulsively. However, as I said, the man was alive and kicking when I left him. He was staggering on the main road and hired a cab."
"Well, that part is odd, seeing that no taxi driver confirmed your statement yet. Not to forget that the hotel was right beside the bar. I don't see why the victim would grab a cab when he would have reached by a 2 minutes walk. Not to mention that you have quite the record here Mr. I see that you were previously accused for sexually harassing a student at the previous university you worked in. It is true that you were found not guilty but ended up losing your credential as the renowned genius young professor you were. Which lead to your disappearance for a year or so, and then you reappeared with quite the buff appearance"
Gin shrugged and pointed to his nose, "First of all, the harassment case was dropped because the student was caught to be a blackmailing swindler later. Because I did not go along with his demands, he used our encounter to take his revenge on me. An encounter that happened without me knowing that he was a student in the first place. As for the reason that Marco took a cab, maybe he went to the hospital for a broken nose. My physique is due to rigorous training that helped me overcome the depression after practically losing everything after that."
"And you did not seek him out later that night, in his hotel room?"
"I am sure that if your resource were effective, you will find no trace of me ever entering the hotel. In the first place, I did not even know which hotel he was staying in." Gin snapped the sarcastic retort.
"Pardon my insistence with the question," The detective replied with equal sarcasm, "The case is sensitive seeing that the victim is a tourist. One more thing I need to clarify with you. May I?"
"Go ahead!" Gin sighed, resting his head on his intertwined hands.
"The person you said that the victim insulted. They do not happen to go by the name of Kiryuu Zero, do they?" Gin head snapped up at the mention of the hunter, he swallowed and kept silent. He had been trying to avoid bringing him up so that they do not discover the connection. What is going on here?
The American Detective seemed to get his answer from the reaction alone and decided to elaborate, "You see, the sponsor overseeing the rehab program of the victim mentioned that Mr. Marco was quite fond of this person. Upon investigating further, it showed that he is quite the influencing figure in Japan, living in your hometown and not to mention the adoptive son of your employer."
"heeh! I see that you went to great lengths digging such detailed information. However, I do not see how it relates to my accusation seeing that I did not say that the person concerned was Zero."
"So you confirm being close to him."
Gin gritted his teeth. "I won't answer another question without a lawyer."
The tension between the men dispersed when an officer excused herself in and whispered to the detective who looked peeved afterwards. "Rejoice, . Your name was cleared thanks to witnesses from the bar and the taxi driver providing you with the perfect alibi. You may leave."
Gin rubbed his wrist, happy for being rid of the cuffs. He was making his way through the lobby when a woman bumped into him, leading to the stack of paper she held to scatter. He crouched to help her pick them up. However, the woman suddenly reached for his hand with her left and he caught a glimpse of the band on her ring finger. He let his hands dangle on his folded knees and shook his head in exasperation. "And here I was thinking something sounded fishy about this arrest. Quite the original way to summon me." He looked into the smirking woman looking back at him.
"Care for some coffee?" she asked,
"Lead the way." He answered while following the shorter woman walking in her tight pencil skirt and stiletto heels.
"I can understand now why a piece of cloth I discarded in a garbage that would be soon collected would conveniently fall into their hands as well as my fingertips."
"I was not planning on getting you locked up from the very beginning. This is just a warning. A way to remind you not to take unnecessary detours." she stated while pushing the latte button.
"Hmm… I wonder which detour are we thinking of." Gin tapped on his mouth as if wondering which coffee to choose.
"You should stop playing the fool. You know perfectly well what I am talking about. You are crossing paths with people that you would not want to deal with, not in this lifetime." The serious female tone made his finger stop his motion.
"Those people do not scare me one bit. I am sure you know that I can back that up."
A huff escaped the pink glossy lips, "Your persistence can be virtue and a curse all the same. I am saying this for your own good. Focus on the reason you came here for, do not let my efforts of providing you with those clues go to waste."
Gin tilted his head and glanced at the woman who knows him like the palm of her hand. "Since you know me so well, you should know how good I am at multi-tasking." He winked at her, took his coffee and turned to leave.
"If you persist on this. The next time we see each other might be a far worse confrontation. Do you really wish for that to happen? I would hate to take you down for certain." She whispered as soon as she grabbed his arm.
Grey eyes looked at hers with a mix of emotion before settling for an amused glint, "That would be an interesting development. It is about time I graduate from being sheltered by you after all, Master!" Gin waved at the woman and left the building, he came face to face with an out of breath Ichiru coming out of a taxi.
She watched the silver haired twin coming up to Gin with a worried expression. Turning on her heels, she headed for the exit leading to her car, "As petulant as ever, my dear disciple. However, you are still not aware that you already graduated from my tutelage so many years ago? That is quite adorable."
Gin glanced back to where his acquaintance stood, finding no one. A sad smile drew on his lips, This is the real goodbye, I guess!
"Gin?" Ichiru asked
"Hmm?"
"Everything is alright? You are sure? You seem unsettled?" Ichiru worried non stop.
"It's fine. Witnesses provided proofs of my valid alibi and I am off the hook… Still, it is surprising how they managed to trace him back to Zero. Is he going to be alright?"
Ichiru smirked, "Nothing to worry, if worse comes to worst, we have the perfect person to rely on. She is already inside, maybe getting him out of there by now. She will also make sure their relation stays under wraps."
Gin's eyebrows raised, "That is quite the fearful person to be able to interfere with the police."
Ichiru chuckled at that, but soon turned serious, "I am wondering though. How did he get out of jail so fast? Why did he come here? His murder is not a surprise seeing that a shady person like that is bound to have someone after his head."
Gin rolled his ring, thinking, "He did say that he had something to settle with Zero. If I remember correctly, it was something a person called tira or Taira, had told him."
"Tiera, you mean?" Ichiru looked at him, shocked.
"Exactly!"
Gin observed the tensing of the silverette with a crease on his forehead. "Did she tell him about the abortion?"
Gin was puzzled, "Abortion?"
"Um… Shortly after their break up, Zero found out that he was pregnant and had an abortion." Ichiru explained offhandedly, "Maybe he wanted to use it as a leverage to harass Zero. He never learned until his very last moments."
"I see," Gin sighed but his jaw slackened shortly after, "Wait… a moment there! Are you saying that Zero can get pregnant?"
Ichiru tilted his head when faced with the flabbergasted expression of the teacher, "Okay! I assumed that you were smart enough to figure it out by yourself since you know that he is a hermaphrodite. Never thought you were this slow."
"But… But… he is a vampire and… wait, even if he has both gender, it is not that easy even if he was not a vampire…"
Ichiru rolled his eyes at the panicked man, "Zero's body is the ideal of his type. Having both, fully functional. Although the dominant gender is male, he can be impregnated if he is not careful. It happened quite a few times until he learned to play safe when it comes to fooling around. I swear, the abortions were no joke."
Ichiru stared at the flustered taller man and smirked, "I can't decide whether you are having cold feet or excited about this new information." he teased, assuming that it was the latter.
On the other hand, a roller-coaster was whirling in Gin's brain as he tried to put the pieces together. Glancing back to where the woman stood, a sense of doom engulfed him all of a sudden. I hope I am getting the wrong idea!
He let out a nervous laughter, "No way, if anything, I feel like jumping from joy."
Their conversation was cut short when Ichiru noticed his brother coming out with a whole fleet of suited men behind him escorting a handcuffed blindfolded foreigner.
Gin joined him with the confused look, "Okay! If I understood correctly, your friend was supposed to get Zero out after they interrogated him. How in the world did they end up with Zero escorting the arrested detective who was questioning us?"
He followed Ichiru to the young lady talking on the phone beside the men who were boarding the black van. Zero had already gotten in. Gin thought that the emblem on the vehicle seemed familiar.
"Yori-chan!" Ichiru called
Wakaba Sayori turned around to see who was calling her, her stunning hazel eyes met violet ones and Ichiru saw pure amusement in them. "What is going on?"
She covered her mouth to suppress a chuckle, "Well… I was going in with the idea that I will have to go through some channels to erase any evidence of Kiryuu-kun being related, right?"
Ichiru nodded for her to continue, "First I found all agents of the special operation department on stand by with your brother interrogating the guy, whom was supposed to be doing the work instead. They were going to report to me later that the detective was a vampire coming from abroad in order to do the background check. However, your brother seemed to recognize him. The person turned out to have been human not long ago. He paid a visit to him, and seemed to know too much. Kiryuu-kun erased his memories in order to protect him, but it seemed that he followed the wrong crowd." Ichiru was struck speechless, but kept silent since the young woman seemed that she had something else to say. "He was apparently turned vampire by the Hanadagi who fled after the war."
After a more detailed explanation, Sayori got into the car that her driver brought around in order to follow the van that was already making his way to the association.
Gin looked at Ichiru with an expression that told him how confused and lost he was. Ichiru grinned at him, "I think Nii-san just got his hands on a major lead. Oh by the way, that was the fearful person I told you about. She is the De-facto president of the special operation department of the police that is common with the association. It is a special unit that Nii-san set up to play as a common ground with the police and help one another."
Gin narrowed his eyes, "You mean that the actual president is…"
"Of course, Nii-san!"
Gin's mouth dropped once again, making Ichiru burst in laughter. "That face is hilarious. Okay since you are so invested in knowing more about him, let me tell you a nice piece of information. Since you have quite the idea of how things work in both societies, whom do you think set up the new foundation that the association is following after the war?"
Gin gave a nervous laughter, "Don't tell me…"
"Yep! Zero is considered the co-founder of the new association alongside with Yuki who was the ruling figure of vampires at that time. Both found it too stiff to keep the positions for different reasons, thus delegated their posts to the people you know today."
"Holy cow!" Gin was short of words, but he started to understand where the sense of doom was coming from.
Ichiru snickered, and tapped on Gin's shoulder, "Don't worry, man. He is not planning on getting that position back until both Yagari-sensei and Cross kick the bucket. Nii-san is always reluctant towards being in a place of power."
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ At the association headquarters ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"
Zero was beyond furious at the moment. Not only did the lady of the Hanadagi turn Thomas into a vampire, she had the guts to send him as a detective and flung her deed to Zero's face. As if daring him to stop her from doing so. He gritted his teeth, if only I knew that he was curious about my nature because he wanted to turn into a vampire himself. He looked at the brown-haired pureblood standing next to him, eyes blazing with fury, "WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED NOW KURAN!"
Isaya intervened at the right moment, "Kiryuu-kun, I believe it is not Kaname-sama's fault. My guess is that a spell has been cast on this person to kill himself as soon as a pureblood tries to look into his head."
"FUCK!" The frustrated hunter kicked the table to the wall and stomped out of the interrogation room. Just when we got our hands on a lead, just when I was about to catch that bitch and the dog that trails behind her. Damnit.
At the end of the corridor, Sayori was waiting for the result of the interrogation. "Wakaba-san, I am sorry to spring this on you, but I need you to use all your resources in collaboration with Ichiru to bring me every little movement that Thomas made during the last six months along with the people he met and especially the places he visited."
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Back in the academy, Zero made sure that Gin got off the charge scot-free and retired to Cross's house. In his bed, the image of Thomas' final moments haunted him. The face twisted in fear, despair as his own claws grew, and gouged out his own heart before blasting it to smithereens, truly cruel.
Zero considered it a message directed towards him, towards his efforts to make it a better place for all races. They were showing him the true nature of vampires that he long knew about it. They were proving that they will never agree to the common ground he was offering in exchange for a peaceful life after. They are leaving him no choice but to erase their existence.
The next day, an order to execute the wife of the previous head of the Hanadagi on sight was issued to all branches of the association worldwide. This is not a personal vendetta anymore, they had done enough harm as it is. I will just have to wait for the Touma to make another careless mistake like this to take him out as well.
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"Zero! This is unreasonable; you know how hard it will be to find them since they have been looking for them for months and years now." Kaname scolded the ragged looking silverette.
The weight of losing Thomas was greater than expected on Zero. Kaname later came to learn about the death of his ex as well. That is why he decided to check on him since Zero went back to his place by the end of the week. As expected he found him in a messy state. His obsession with finding the woman made him forfeit food and sleep, working to the bone on any clue he receives.
"Well, if I leave the matter to the people in charge, it will take another decade for them to find anything."
"Are you resuming the president position then?"
"Hell no! I am using the resources to speed up the process."
"But you are overshadowing the work of others, making them seem useless in the eye of their subordinates this way. Namely Cross."
Zero paused his reading, and looked up the pureblood who was standing on the other side of the coffee table. Seeing the point, Zero dropped the papers and rubbed his temples. "Did he send you?"
"He did confess being worried about the way you were handling things. I took it upon myself to relay the worry." Kaname explained as he pulled Zero up and guided him to the bathroom, "Go freshen up, I brought food. Sleep after eating."
Kaname proceed to clear the papers on the table to remove any work inducing factor for the hunter. He was equally anxious to close this case of the rogue purebloods and their damned pills. However, he learned that haste and impulse will not get them anywhere. Everyone was working twice as much to be able to solve the enigma of their whereabouts and they will gear up as soon as they have a tangible lead.
Contrary to his expectations, Zero came out clad in his hunting gear and stormed out of the apartment saying that a unit was ambushed nearby and needed back up. Kaname did not bother stopping him since he knew that he would not listen. Thus, he left back to the academy to resume his own work.
As he was signing a few papers, Kaien Cross called him over to the association to look into few results of the DNA from the ice-wielder case. The pureblood was surprised to find out that the sample did not correspond to any of the ice-wielders present in Japan, which means that they had to go through few dozen of them.
"We are currently running the test in the branches oversee without any hit so far." Kaien took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"The possibility of an outsider is extremely small seeing that every vampire crossing the borders has to identify himself in details. Unless, we are talking about illegal entry which requires powerful backup and stealthy method to go under our radars undetected." Kaname observed.
"hmm… You have a point. If that theory can be supported, then I am afraid we are dealing with an enemy far greater than few rogue purebloods." Cross sighed.
"A crime organization that managed to unite rogue hunters, rogue vampires and greedy humans in order to create chaos in the world. The one behind it probably have on simple motive driving him so far." Kaname trailed
"Rise for supremacy." Cross finished his sentence.
"I am afraid so." Kaname nodded.
"Kaname-kun, could you keep this bit of information to yourself. At least until we are sure that it could be the case." Cross requested. A sensitive conclusion like this can send unnecessary panic through the society, be it hunters, vampires or the humans aware of them.
"Understood!" Kaname affirmed. When he was about to leave, the secretary came barging in, face red and breathing with difficulty from running too fast.
"President, we have a problem!"
Cross stood up, alarmed and asked her to elaborate, "Ten minutes ago, we received a confirmation from Kiryuu Zero that he was about to go back up a team who sent an SOS request." Kaname froze by the door, listening, "The reference, the location and the mission itself are non-existent in our system. I believe someone hacked the connection and sent him on a wild goose chase, or…"
"A trap" both Cross and Kaname uttered the same word with the same horrified expression.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞on Zero's side ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞
Shit! Shit! Shit! this is bad. Damn!
Zero struggled against the restrains trapping him in vain. The gash in his side only bled more with the movement and the blade embedded in his shoulder burned like hell.
His vision blurred while trying to focus on the sorry excuse of hunters that turned their back on him. He glanced at the one who made the mistake of touching Bloody Rose. I guess I will be joining him soon! How idiotic, to get done in by trash like this.
Barely ten minutes earlier, Zero saw the notification of a backup call on his work phone. Seeing how frustrated he was, he came out with the hope of letting out some steam and helping his fellow hunters.
When he reached the location, there was a swarm of E's trapping the bleeding hunter. Zero was surprised to see such a large number and so few hunters, but proceeded to shoot the mad creatures to dust one after the other. There was three hunters, one was bleeding and two fighting. He noticed that they were not so out of breath despite being outnumbered. Despite all the signs, he did not suspect them. When they almost finished, one of them approached him while thanking him.
*flashback*
"You really saved us Kiryuu-san, we thought that was it for us." Said the hunter while tapping the silverette's shoulder.
Zero was about to answer courteously, but the rustling in the bushes alarmed him. He immediately raised his gun when sensing a noble vampire approaching. *STAB*
"Agh!" He screamed in pain while turning to see what he did not believe happened. The slight move caused his misfortune as the noble charged in and slapped the gun from his hand, slashing his side with his claws.
Zero wrestled through the pain and grounded his feet to attack. The soil suddenly moved and crawled up his legs immobilizing him. It branched out and got a hold of his hands as well. The other uninjured hunter quickly strapped a spelled cuff on his hand, making him unable to use spells either.
A sickening laugh erupted from the black haired noble vampire, "Who thought it would be this easy to lure and trap the infamous hunter, Kiryuu Zero."
The other hunter who stabbed him plunged the blade deeper while whispering in his ear, "I always wanted a chance like this. To humiliate the abomination who thought he has the right to call himself a hunter."
Zero spit on his face, "Because you are so convinced that you are one?- Aghghhhh! Fuck!" he twisted the hunter blade more into the wound. "Kill me already"
"Not yet~" The supposedly injured hunter rose and approached them with a foxy smile. His eyes landed on Zero's gun and he bent to pick it up, "We need to have out sweet time torturing you at our place, have the prize and then I will personally snuff you out with your dear gun."
"DON'T TOUCH IT!" Zero screamed with all the strength he had. It was not because he cherished his precious gun, but because of what happened afterwards. As soon as the hunter held the silver gun and pointed it towards Zero, the thorny vines erected and wrapped around the screaming hunter like a cocoon. Everyone, including Zero froze at the sight of the vines turning red as they sucked the blood of their victim until leaving him desiccated, dead. Zero looked away, unable to take the sight.
When Bloody Rose awakened after Kaname became the parent, it held a lot more power than before. Choosing Zero as its master, the weapon seemed to have a mind of its own. If a wielder, other than Zero, touched it with the malicious intention of killing its master, the weapon immediately dispose of them by sucking them dry, like a vampire.
**end of flashback**
The warmth of his blood seeped in his clothes, creating a sickening sticky sensation. His vision blurred.
"The smell is so enticing."
He cringed when the face of the vampire came close to his. He saw the red eyes and elongated fangs about to sink into his neck. That is when the real panic surged inside him. He locked his jaw and shut his eyes as not to give them the pleasure of seeing his fears coming to life.
Bracing himself for the bite that never came, Zero flinched at the muffled groan. His amethyst eyes opened slightly and came face to face with the true beast. The horrified face of the noble upon turning to see his attacker paled compared to the true wrath Zero saw in the ruby red eyes of Kaname. As fast as the moves were, the hunter seemed to see everything in slow motion. He watched as Kaname's hand went through the vampire's chest, his claws long and sharp dripping with blood. The arm remained extended as the vampire turned to dust while Kaname used his power to pulverize the E's that crawled around. From the corner of his eyes, Zero caught a glimpse of another person mobilizing the hunters to the ground and tying them up.
The last thing he remembers seeing was the way Kaname licked his bloody hand, pristine fangs shining to the moonlight, he suddenly felt his body becoming heavier than what he could take and just slumped down, not knowing that Kaname caught him in his arms at the right moment.
The sound of engines signaled the arrival of the actual back up that Cross requested. The car lights made it more painfully obvious how injured and weak Zero was. Kaname was thankful for Cross's idea. The ex-hunter made use of him by sending him on location along with Nao, the prefect with healing powers. Isaya Shouto came along, transporting with him another hunter in case the fight was still ongoing.
A choking sensation brought the pureblood to his knees as he felt his heart being squeezed inside his body. This is no time for the seal to act up!
He looked at Zero, seeing his face contorted in pain made him feel worse. The formal scenario that would allow Kaname to kill any living being would be through Zero lifting the ban of the seal temporarily, Kaname doing the deed and then Zero would seal the ban again. He cursed the power of the spell that decided to manifest at the worst time. He clutched Zero's body with all energy he could muster as not to let him bump to the floor. A shaky hand reached to the blade and took it out. The pain jolted Zero awake and wincing in pain, he watched the agonized face of the pureblood and understood his predicament without words.
The hunter muttered the words before losing consciousness yet again. Kaname let out a stifle gasp when the gripping sensation on his bleeding heart subsided, thanks to Zero lifting the ban.
As soon as he regained his strength, Kaname called out for Nao in order to tend to the hunter's injury. To his surprise, the young prefect froze a foot away from them. Kaname's eyes widened when he saw his reaction to Zero's blood, unaware that he was the same. Nao, who was praised for his incredible tolerance when it comes to blood, to the point that he did not react to the rich pureblood of Kaname, had his eyes glowing red and his fangs completely aroused as soon as took a whiff of the sweet smelling blood that Zero emanated.
"Leave!" Kaname growled, startling the teenager who was sinking in an uncontrollable blood lust.
"Take some blood pills and get away from here, get in a car… Do something about that." Kaname ordered.
The black haired student ran for the heels, a hand clutching his chest and the other covering his mouth.
"Damn it!" I should not have let you leave like that.
∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞ TBC ∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞8∞∞