A/N: Next update won't be until next week but, I hit a good flow with Kain and Zero. Which made me happy.

He hated the sound. The haze. He hated the way it made him feel. He hated how much he needed it. He hated Lee and Shiki. Most importantly, he hated himself.

Kain's eyes pried themselves open, only somewhat aware of the warmth from his partner. Kain knew what he'd see: the dark roots in an almost passable imitation of Kiryuu. He wasn't blind to his own preferences as Shiki assumed. Kain studied the young man, barely out of his teens. Kain could almost pretend he was happy when Lee was asleep. If he shut his eyes, he could pretend like it was Kiryuu curled against his side. But, inevitably, the reality crashed down.

He lifted himself to the edge of the bed, careful not to wake him. He swallowed for the umpteenth time, the heavy liquid still sticking in his throat, choking him with regret and giddiness. Much like the haze itself. Quietly, he pulled his suitcase out from under the bed, unzipping the upper compartment. He'd have preferred to have Lee's seeing as his own would be diluted. But, he was unsure of what the schedule was. All Kain knew for certain was he was acting differently. Almost like Pavlov conditioning.

He grit his teeth as he extracted some blood, his hunger growing. With closed eyes, he slipped the foreign object from his vein and poured what he took into a test tube, setting them in a private shelf of a cooler where seven others lay. Then, he sat in silence.

Kain was sure Aidou knew, deep down. He was sure his scent was off. Maybe it was because Kiryuu was in the room or because Aidou ended the hug quickly that it didn't affect him that much.

Souen, as well. She had remarked on it, mumbling it into his chest. She, too, kept her distance after.

The cravings only worsened as Touya wrapped herself around Kain, her arms snaking around his neck as she buried her head in his neck. Kain wrapped his arms around her waist, squeezing her lightly. Her tear-stained face soaked his silk shirt. He lowered his head to her neck, rubbing her back. "Missed you, too."

"You're not allowed to leave anymore." She whispered, her grip tightening. The words slurred in his shoulder. Kain almost smiled, her pulse racing in his ears. He felt the tinge of red in his eye, the elongating fangs. His eyes fell on Kiryuu at the same time as Touya loosened her grip.

He knew that look. The anger, the bewilderment… "Kiryuu, you're up. Hit me, swear at me…"

Even just the promise of that… He tried to curb the idea, desperately needing him to at least shake his hand. Show him that he was on his mind. "It's good to see you."

Kain's arms fell to his side. No, he thought to himself. He can't be with me. Not if he's going to be successful. Swallowing his pride, Kain nodded. "You look well."

"I am." Souen ran to him instead, her dried blood gaining his curiosity.

"The sexual tension between you two –"

"There is none." Kain's fingers dug into Souen's side, being thrown off guard. No, it's fair. It's me who wants more, not him. "I'll let you all catch up."

"Ow." Souen replied as Kiryuu left the room. Kain let her go as she rubbed her lower back.

"Sorry." He brushed the hair off her shoulder, his small smile reappearing. "You look beautiful."

"No thanks to you." She exhaled as Aidou snickered.

"Am I pretty, too?"

"Yes, Hana." He turned to Touya. "You, on the other hand…"

"Hey! Not nice!" She spun her head around, pretending to sniffle. "Mama, Dad, Kain's bullying me!"

Kain stepped back, raising an eyebrow. "What the…"

"Oh…" Souen shook her head. "Long story short – Touya, Kiryuu and Kaito are all siblings that we 'adopted' and Yagari and Cross are… Our fathers?"

"…" Kain turned to Aidou who sighed.

"Ruuka started treating Kiryuu and Touya like her children. I asked when we'd start having kids and she confused the hell out of me by telling me that we already had two."

"…" He turned to Touya. "Adopted?"

"You know, saying mom and dad. Not actual adoption." She pressed a finger to her lips. "Although, it might help you in the long run if Zero is actually family."

"…" He ran a hand through his hair. "Well, as long as you're all not tearing each other's throats out."

"Anyway." Touya shoved him on the couch. "What's America like?"

"Yes," Aidou added on, resting against the wall. "What have you been up to?"

"You better have been busy considering you didn't respond to my texts." Souen remarked.

"Yeah, I've been having issues with my phone." Kain pulled it out, showing Touya the texts he meant to send to her.

"You… Didn't get the memes I sent… Or the cute Kiryuu photo!" She huffed and threw her phone back at Kain. "You're phone's stupid."

"Cute Kiryuu photo?" She held up a finger, turning her phone towards him in triumph. Kain swallowed, the eyeliner working well with Kiryuu's eyes.

"So cute, right?"

"…"

"Kain?"

"Yeah… Cute." He turned his head away, cringing at the thoughts creeping into his mind. Luckily, he could distract himself by showing Souen the texts he meant to send her.

"Liberty… You on a boat… You went to Ohio? Oh, Chicago…" She smiled to herself.

"I couldn't get a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge so…"

"Meh, I'll take a photo myself." She grinned triumphantly at Aidou who read his own. Kain's expression sobered as Aidou read through.

"After the honeymoon." He answered, handing it back. "Also, how dare you."

"What?" Souen asked.

"My butt isn't that big."

Kain shrugged, playing along. "It ain't small."

"No, it's medium. It's perfectly normal."

"I don't know why you were comparing Hana's ass but, it's my butt." Souen interjected, the words dawning on her.

"That it is." Aidou answered, pleased at the reminder.

"… There was no butt comparison, was there?" Touya whispered as they returned their focuses to each other. Aidou's hands rested on her hips, pressing his lips to her cheek and resting his forehead against hers.

"No." He answered, taking two pictures.

"… That's what it was for?"

"We are cutting into their photography time." He answered her.

Souen gasped. "The photographer. Right, right…"

She grabbed her bag as Aidou finished changing. Kain shrugged, standing. "I'll meet you guys at the reception hall."

"No!" Souen stamped her foot. "Come on. Wait, where's Kiryuu?"

"Think Zero would prefer to be left out of them."

"Did he even get changed? Did anyone get a picture of him in the tux change?" She glanced frantically from Kain to Aidou to Touya.

"Ruuka," Kain assuaged. "If you ask it of him, you know he'll do photos."

"How are you so sure?" She questioned, being led out of the room by Aidou. Touya and Kain followed.

"Because you're the bride." He reassured her.

For the majority of the pictures, he and Touya stood together on the sidelines, eating her snacks. Touya fiddled with her hair as Kain sighed, his tongue running over the extended fangs. He bit the inside of his cheek, the welling blood not satisfactory enough. Still, it'd have to do. "Spill."

Her big blue eyes turned accusatory. "Whose dicks were you sucking?"

Kain snorted, covering his mouth. "I've missed that."

"Missed… What?"

"How blunt you are." The mood soured a little. "I'm sorry about what happened with you and Wakaba. And, that I never got a chance to call you…"

"Make it up to me – who?"

Kain shook his head. "You want the PDF file or…"

"… You were doing porn?"

"… How…" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, I wasn't doing porn. Senri exaggerated it."

"Who."

"Just this guy…" He patted her shoulder at the look of betrayal. "He… doesn't really mean anything to me."

"Except stress relief?" He opened his mouth to answer. She cut him off. "Would I like him?"

"… No."

"See, you're supposed to date the guys your best friends will like."

"I'm not dating Lee. Seeing him and dating him are not the same thing."

She was silent for a moment, understanding finally occurring. "So, just stress relief."

"… Exactly."

Kain offered his arm to Souen on the way inside the reception. Aidou stopped, his brow furrowing until understanding dawned. Souen, however, stared at Kain, uncomprehendingly. "I know I'm not your dad and that I missed the ceremony…"

With a nod, she took his arm, the tears welling in her eyes. He slipped out his handkerchief, drying them. With one look at his cousin, the youngest threw open the doors. He took five strides forward and waited with his back to them. Kain stopped at four, pressing a kiss to her forehead before turning her towards Aidou, stepping to the side. Together, they wound up on the dance floor. Kain bit his inner cheek, the blood filling his mouth calming… But, not enough.

"You're realizing the mistake." Aidou's father intervened, sidling up to Kain.

"There's a mistake?" Kain asked, turning towards him.

"I thought that you had come to your senses." He smirked mirthlessly. "She belongs with you."

"You'd damn your own son, knowing full well how much he loves her, by rejecting it." Kain stated more than asked this.

"You more than anyone know that whatever you had that Hanabusa wanted, he got… Toys, treats… Ruuka."

"What if I told you," Kain started, using his height to his advantage, "I never loved her."

"I'd say… You were bullshitting me and ignoring how you really feel."

"And, how are you to know what I feel?"

"Don't tell me the Kiryuu boy –"

Kain stepped closer to him, hoping he appeared menacing. "You. Don't. Say. His. Name."

His uncle appeared surprised, his eyes darting towards anywhere or anyone that could help him. They landed on someone else "Here's a question, Akatsuki. Why are you so focused on the ones you can't have?"

Knowing he won, his uncle patted his shoulder and skittered away. Kain unclenched his fist, the wet liquid traipsing down his fingers. He licked off the blood, his eyes closing as his body expected the euphoric following.

"Gross." Souen stated, cleaning off his saliva with a nearby napkin. She offered her hand. "Come on."

"Shouldn't Kiryuu be –"

"You're the one who gave me away." She tsked and pulled him onto the dance floor, her head laying on his shoulder instantly. For a moment, Kain saw her as she was. Four years old, overly tired but, insisting her dad dance with her. Her small arms wrapped around his torso, her tired eyes closing slowly. That's your wife, Mayoko would whisper to his six-year-old version. Protect her. He almost smiled at the thought.

"Feels weird, right?" He asked, lowering his head to her ear.

"How?" She asked.

"The years of expectation built up. All of it crashing down today." He lifted her hand and spun her around, almost parading her to the crowd.

"None of that." She reprimanded playfully. Her smile faltered for a moment. "I don't understand the game you and Kiryuu are playing."

"There's a game? Is it Nintendo?" She shoved his arm.

"I figured by now, you'd have hooked up in the nearest coat closet."

"… Did you set up a coat closet just for people to hook up?"

"Just you two. I'm not weird."

"… The fact that it's just meant for two people is weird."

"Hey, I befriended him and spent a lot of time getting to know him for your sake."

Kain shook his head. "AKA, you care about him and his happiness."

She was quiet but nodded. "I care about you, too. And… Hana was right."

"About?"

"The glances…" She shook her head. "I'm probably just being silly."

"Mm, if you're too silly, I'm taking you back to your husband." Kain joked. His smile formed as she beamed, her eyes on their cousin. "When can I start calling you the 'one that got away'?"

Souen laughed. "How bad do you want Hana to have a heart attack?"

"Hmm… Depends on when he does something annoying."

"So… Shortly after we get back from the honeymoon?"

"Where are you going?"

"Dunno. We decided we're going to get to the airport and choose a random place."

"Cold?"

"Amendment: choose a random, tropical place."

"Well, that narrows the options."

She shrugged. "Not everything can be planned, Akatsuki."

"True…" He hugged her as the song ended, the temptation almost unbearable. The small holes in her neck… He blinked the thought away as they let go, spinning her into Aidou. "Next dance?"

He held his hand out for Aidou. The blonde gasped. "Akatsuki, you flirt."

Souen shook her head. "I still don't understand this joke."

"Should we tell her?" Kain asked, the idea lighting in his mind. "Or, should I save it for a speech?"

Aidou glared at him. "We'll share it but, it stays out of any speech. Ever."

Kain smiled, turning to her. "When Hana figured out that we were betrothed, he pitched a fit because he wanted an arranged marriage, too. So, I told him that we'd share him."

"Inviting another into our bed before the marriage?" Souen faked a gasp, glad she could have some fun with it. "The scandal."

Aidou snorted, grinning as he glared at Kain. "But, that doesn't extend to you."

"No, no. So long as you name your first child after me –"

"Not. Happening." Souen stated. "She will be named Hana."

"Mean." He stuck his tongue out at Souen, the DJ's announcement coming on. Souen and Aidou glanced at each other as Kain furrowed a brow. "You guys plan that?"

"I said I want you and Kiryuu to go to the coat closet – not Ichijo and Shiki, not Touya and Wakaba. Just you two." Souen defended. Aidou just shook his head. Bewildered, Kain stepped onto the dance floor. The silver head stepped past the crowd, his gaze raising to Kain's face. Momentarily, Kain saw the flash of contortion, the white pillows under his flushed face… The parted lips… Kain squeezed his eyes shut, lifting a questioning eyebrow towards him. Judging by the direction to the blonde girl, the answer seemed obvious. He offered his hand.

In his arms, Kiryuu was safe… From them. Kain bit down on his cheek, the blood pouring worsening the condition. His eyes fell to his own puncture marks on Kiryuu's neck, remembering the taste on his tongue. Kiryuu's soft moan… His hands in Kain's hair… What wouldn't he do to hear it again? Kain shoved the thoughts away, clearing his throat. "Leave it to Touya to be this obvious."

Kiryuu tilted his head to the side. Stop… Can't you see how much I want you? "How'd you have dealt with it?"

"Approached each one separately saying that someone important is looking for them on the balcony." Kain answered. "Tactless."

Kiryuu… Under the starlight… In my arms… Forever in my arms… It was getting harder to swallow as reality filtered in his mind. He hoped his breath wasn't shaking, his voice remaining even. "Anyway… Are you free in the next two weeks?"

Yeah, that's smart… Make sure you're alone with him… Idiot. "Why?"

He hadn't noticed that he was leaning into him, his focus on the pulse. Entrancing him… "The chores I gave you."

He rested his head on Kiryuu's shoulder, wetting his lips. Everything about this moment… All he had to do… Was nuzzle in, wet the area… Listen for the moan… Take his cue… Kiryuu would allow it… "I gave you all the updates."

Kain swallowed, unsure of how his lips brushed against Kiryuu's throat. He straightened, hoping he couldn't see the red in his eyes… Or feel the lust against his thigh. "Which means next course of action."

"Wait…" Kain avoided his contact, trying his best to show he was listening. "You're only here for two weeks?"

"Mm. With several meetings." He offered a smile, spinning Zero into Ichijo. He ignored the pang, helping himself to a drink.

"How close was I?" Touya asked, patting his shoulder.

"Biggest bitch." Kain answered.

"Huh?" Touya turned back to Kiryuu, her eyes wide. "What'd he do to you?"

"It's more what he can't do to me." Kain answered, the need flooding him. "And, what I can't do to him."

"… Oh." Touya shook her head. "I don't think Ichijo would mind if Kiryuu left for a little bit."

"What about you and Wakaba?" He asked. It would be better for both of them if he just avoided Kiryuu altogether.

Touya looked down. "It… She just has questions that I already answered and I don't want to do them again."

"Why," he started, biting his lower lip. Once the wave stopped, he tried again. "Why don't you show her how much she means to you?"

"How?"

"Apparently, Ruuka set up a rendezvous point."

"Awe, she does care." Touya waved in the brides' direction, grinning ear to ear. Souen appeared confused but, waved back. Just as Kain raised his drink to his lips, the urge started again. Instantly, the doors slammed open. Kain set the drink down, lowering his head. He wasn't sure when it started throbbing, his upper jaw swelling.

"Akatsuki!" Kain turned at the name, the small frame pushing past attendees. How… Do you know when to come? Kain questioned as he wrapped his arms around him. With everyone's eyes on the two, he avoided anyone's gaze.

"Akatsuki… You know him?" Souen asked.

Kain leaned to his level, lowering his voice. "Lee, I promised to introduce you at a later date."

"But, I need it." The man whined. Kain swallowed. I know…

"This is Lee?" Souen asked. Kain nodded, glaring at her. After all, it was a private conversation with Touya, not her. She plastered a smile on her face and tried her best English. "Nice to meet you."

Lee examined her. "Are… You the bitch cousin?"

Souen stared at Kain in disbelief. "Why'd you say that?"

"We both know I meant Hana." Kain tried to explain. Aidou chuckled, nodding to himself.

"Why don't you and Lee go outside and talk?" Shiki recommended. Kain nodded, thankful for someone to help him. The colder air alleviated some of the pain as Kain led Lee down the path, out of the eye sight of any nosey passerby.

"Akatsuki…" Kain twisted his head as Lee tossed his shirt to the ground, leaning his head to the side. His brown eyes met Kain's, pleading and excitement flooding through. Kain wet his lips, gripping Lee's hips as his fangs sunk in. The pain subsided instantly, the fresh blood coating his tongue. Kain parted first

"You should stop getting to that point, Kain." Shiki's voice rang in his head. The aristocrat lowered his eyes as Lee, in a daze, started kissing his neck. "Just take little bits of blood every so often. Like we were trained to."

"I don't need the lessons." Kain muttered, lifting Lee's face to his. Just another pawn… Another prisoner… Who doesn't understand the rules of whatever game he's being used for… "You going to turn on me and hand me over to Kuran?"

"You forget… I've fed off him, too." He wiped the blood off Kain's face. "And, if we're questioned about it…"

"… It was the only way to survive." Kain reiterated. The gossip wafted towards them. "Not even here a day and he's the most hated man here."

"He was worried about you." Shiki stated, playing with the ends of Lee's hair. "But, better they think him a whore than know what big brother is really like. Especially with a Hunter in the mix."

"Better they take whatever narrative needed." Kain agreed, pressing a kiss to Shiki's cheek. Because, if they knew the truth… If Kiryuu knew the truth…

"I'll take him home." Shiki reassured.

Kain blinked back the tears, holding his legs to his chest. His mind kept going. Bloody Rose in his hand… The nightmares after… He wouldn't tell the truth about what caused him to pull it… Hana and Ruuka would turn on him… He'd lost so much…

His fingers pulled at the roots. Not even back for one day and I'm making a mess… For him and me… He stifled a sob, refusing to alert either Shiki or Lee that he was awake.

A/N: I made me sad… Last chapter update (I swear… As I'm thinking about Zero's predicament…). Also, I have no clue if this is getting updated or not so… I'm dealing with that fun.