A/N: I've got three ideas for this chapter… Aside from the main plot. Bear with me.
Zero hated practicing. He hated the tingling feeling in his fingers, every cell in his body screaming for him to stop. Wakaba lifted his head for the millionth time as the studio apartment came into view. Touya leaned against the wall, shaking her head. "Kind of pathetic, Zero."
"Rima…" Wakaba shook her head.
"Hey, you faked being under for thirty minutes." Touya retorted.
"This is hopeless." Zero muttered, sitting up. He rested his arm against his leg.
"It's not hopeless." Wakaba tried to encourage, dusting herself off as she stood.
"We've been at this for hours and, the closest I got, I just found out, you were faking." Zero lowered his head.
"How'd Kain get you to do it before?" Touya asked, ending the drowning silence.
Zero didn't answer. Wakaba did. "He… used it."
Touya nodded, lifting Zero by the arm. Once standing, she rested her hands on his shoulders, meeting his eyes. "You want to see the Kurans, yes?"
Zero nodded. Touya's expression turned determined. "Then, stop being a little bitch and use compulsion! It's for your mission, use it!"
"Ri…" Wakaba sighed, shaking her head. Zero stayed quiet as Touya huffed.
"At the end of the day, it's up to you but…" He saw the light bulb going off in her head, her blue eyes shining with the illumination. "What if I said you could use it to help people?"
Wakaba opened her mouth to scold her girlfriend. Zero held up his hand. "… How?"
"Well, I don't know much about hostages but, I know that even Former Humans can manipulate a Level E."
"… You're saying I can use it to save hostages?"
"Saving people, hunting Level E's… to paraphrase."
"Even if you could," Wakaba interjected, "you'd have to practice."
Zero hunched forward, his previous optimism dwindling. "… On you."
"Which… In a way, you're already saving people." Touya grinned as Wakaba swallowed audibly.
"How is using compulsion on Sayori saving people?" Zero questioned, his arms folding over his chest and leaning against the counter.
"She saves people and, if vampires can't manipulate her for their own gain…"
"… Then, why aren't you doing it?"
"Because I don't have a big chip on my shoulder that tells me compulsion is wrong." Touya avoided her girlfriends swatting hand, nearly tripping over Zero's extended leg. "Come on, one more try."
Zero nodded once. Touya poured a glass of water as Wakaba sat on the stool. "Now, remember: ground, reach out, action."
He exhaled slowly, his heart rate slowing. That was the easy part. He summoned the powers to the surface, the tingling sensation returning and the air shifting as he did so. He could feel the warmth of Wakaba, nervously wrapping the energy around her.
"You can do it, Zero!" Touya interrupted. Zero felt the words forming in his head.
"Shut the hell up, Rima!" Wakaba answered. Zero broke the connection, the combined voice of Wakaba and his own startling him out of the trance. Wakaba rested her hand on Touya's arm.
"That –"
"Could have said it nicer." Touya pouted, a smile tugging on her lip.
"Are you alright?" Zero asked Wakaba.
"I'm fine." She reassured. Zero nodded.
"Want to go again?" Touya asked, more excited than her counterparts.
"I want to sleep." Wakaba answered. Zero nodded his assent, heading for the door.
"You both suck." Still, Touya grabbed her keys.
"You're not staying?" Zero asked, eyebrow raising.
"If I stay and Ichijo's at home, he's going to suspect and then, ke-flewy."
"… Ke-flewy? He's going to explode Sayori?"
Wakaba shook her head at the duo. "Rima's saying that something bad will happen because he threatened it."
"I speak Rima, thanks." He noticed how snide it sounded.
"But, he never said how so, we'll go with exploding Sayori." Touya answered.
"And, I don't want to explode, thank you." Wakaba finished.
Zero lay awake, the sound of rain seeming to celebrate his descent into his new life. The cold water blew in threw his window, somehow warmer than how he felt. Still, the boom woke him from the surreal state. He crept out of his room and into Touya's, her slight whimper as the room illuminated with another flash. "You good?"
Touya scooted to the other side of her bed, patting the space beside her. Zero rested on the top sheet, Touya's head on his chest. She buried her face into it, covering her ears at the thunder. Zero held onto her waist. Her nails dug into his skin. "Distract me?"
"Hmm…" He thought about what to bring up, the ghost of a smile on his face. "Do you remember how I found out you were afraid of thunder storms?"
"No." She squeezed her eyes shut, whimpering.
"You ran into my room, leaning against the door, using some stupid excuse like you thought I was afraid."
"I remember you said you were." She muttered.
"That's because you almost screamed when the thunder was loud."
"The lightning hit the tree outside."
"Which is why it was so loud." He reasoned. They fell silent, the rain still pounding on the window. "Feel better?"
"Mm." She assented. Silence. "You know, you'll make a good dad one day."
Zero raised an eyebrow. "Why are you picturing me as a dad?"
"You and Akitty will rock dad bods together." She nodded to herself. He snorted, shaking his head. "Akitty will be a House-Spouse and you'll live off the interest he makes from the company."
"And, what'll I be doing in this scenario?"
"Well, you won't be around much – too much hunting. But, if you ever have a girl who's afraid of storms…"
"Stop fantasizing about my possible future and sleep."
"You don't fantasize about what you want?"
He knew it best to use the topic as a source of distraction. "What's the kind of life you want with Sayori?"
"Hmm…" She smiled softly, her blue eyes slowly closing. "Just a small house near a river… Close to the city so she can be a counsellor and I can continue my modeling…"
"Any kids?"
"I can't risk having kids – it'd ruin my career."
"What if Sayori has the kids?"
"Mini Sayori's…" She smiled at the thought. "Can they be as smart as her?"
"They'll be smart and assholes."
"Smart assholes." She hummed softly, the events of the day finally catching to her. Zero remained awake, his other hand covering the old tattoo on his neck. He ran his fingers over the fang marks that dared pierce the tattoo. Others would bite the other side, unsure and untrusting of the Hunters mark. He was out of his mind when he did so yet… He swallowed as he recalled the serious expression on Kain's face, his thumb running over the evidence of his action. Zero was still unsure if the shifted expression was from what Kain had done or what the mark represented now. "Ow."
"Sorry." He patted Touya's head, slipping from her grasp.
"I was comfy." She pouted.
"Too bad. See you in the morning."
"You've been practising." Kain assessed as Wakaba panted, the exercise a little too much for her. Zero handed her a bottle of water which she gratefully took. They set her on the bleachers, Kain sitting next to her.
"I found out how I can use it." He amended. Kain nodded.
"What do we have to do next?" Wakaba asked, her heart still pounding in her chest.
"You have to learn how to fight it off. Touya's teaching you that, right?"
"Yeah." She jutted her chin towards Zero. "And, what's the next he has to learn?"
"How to hold his tongue." Kain remarked.
"I can hold my tongue." Zero argued.
"Mm…" Kain and Wakaba shared a glance. Zero exhaled. "You can't go around telling people that… I think they pretty much know, come to think of it…"
"What?" Wakaba questioned.
"That I hate the Kaname."
"You won't achieve it if you say it. Or give the impression."
"Okay, Rima would have torn out your tongue." Wakaba studied Kain. "Are you broken?"
"My loyalties are muddled at the moment." Kain answered though, Zero noted the anger that crossed Kain's face.
"Anything else I need to learn?" Zero asked.
"How to fake it. Ruuka's a good teacher for both of those. Any other situation is pretty much straight forward. Someone says I hate Kurans, your emotions should flare. As should your power."
"… And, how do I access that?" Zero knew full well how to. He had done it once before.
"Same way you access and control compulsion, really. Except, instead of it being a meeting of the mind and conveying an idea, you're letting it explode from you, from the area around you." Kain nodded towards him. "You got this. Keep me updated about your end, yeah?"
Zero nodded, watching him walk away. Wakaba whistled. "Harsh. He didn't even look at you the whole time."
"Can't fault him there." Zero whispered to himself. Ichijo's words came to mind. Not good enough for Yuuki, not good enough for Akitty… He felt the heat in his cheeks rise.
"You practised for him, didn't you?" Wakaba asked. He hated that her intuition was always spot on. "Well… At least, he noticed?"
"Mm." That and Rima got in my head… He felt ridiculous, fantasizing. Like a girl… His eyes narrowed towards Wakaba. Thankfully, she didn't notice.
"Seriously?" Kaito questioned, covering his mouth as yet another yawn escaped him. Zero shrugged, always seemingly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in comparison. "Why does he want to come to a clear out?"
Again, a yawn. Zero fought the contagion. "I promised I'd take him on one."
"But, they're boring." He tried to rub the sleep from his eyes.
"Late night with Shindo?"
"Mm…" Even tired, a smile still appeared on Kaito's face. "Don't try to distract me with my girlfriend –"
"Oh, you leveled up." He didn't mind being hit on the shoulder as they pulled into the apartment parking lot.
"Think it's got valet?"
"For a white van with the back having chains on either end? I hope not."
"Awe, I don't have candy, either." Kaito pouted, shaking the rest of the candy into his hand.
"… In any other context…" Zero sighed, checking his phone. "I'll go get him."
"No way! I'm not sitting in here while you two screw."
"He's not answering his phone." He had already unbuckled his seatbelt, the door wide open.
"Fine. I'll have a nap."
"Which means, I get to drive." Zero muttered more to himself lest Kaito become overprotective of his position.
The apartment lobby wasn't nearly as grand as Kain's previous accommodation however, it wasn't bare essentials. He approached the front desk, the lady eyeing him suspiciously. "Can I help you?"
"I'm looking for Kain."
"I see." She pressed a button. Two other people, both Zero assumed was security, joined them. "He's here to see Kain."
"I see." He nodded to Zero, gesturing to the elevator door. One walked in front of him, the other behind. Once in the elevator, Zero spoke.
"Those won't kill a vampire."
"No but, it'll hurt like hell."
"Yes. And then, they'll go chaotic and try draining you dry." Newbies. Zero almost shook his head. Maybe it's for them Kain wants to learn. "Unless, of course, you have a stun gun… or a taser. I'd suggest something higher than the average, depending on level."
"Are you… threatening us?" One of the security personnel asked.
"No, no. Sorry." He lowered his eyes to the ground.
"We use an electrical outlet. All of our guns are charged by that." The other answered. Zero hid his grin.
"I like your use of ingenuity."
"Why are you sharing that with a vampire?" The judging security asked.
"Hunter first." Zero studied the one who had disclosed the information, recognizing him from several parties Souen threw. "He knows the tricks of the trade."
"What got you two into vampire hunting?" Zero asked. He mentally slapped himself.
"AVAH." The familiar one answered.
… If Aka-chan has a bunch of kids learning hunting… Of course he'd feel it his responsibility to know how to do it correctly… The elevator rang as the familiar stepped out. The judging one stepped back. Zero encouraged him to step closer. "Never, under any circumstance, give a vampire space when you don't know their situation. The worst can appear as normal as a human but, they can turn within a second."
He nodded as the familiar guard rapped on the door. No answer. He tried again, louder this time. The three heard something break from inside. Automatically, the familiar guard threw the door open. Zero's teeth clenched as he turned from the sight, the vision of Kain between Lee's legs against the kitchen island still etched in his mind. It was even worse when Lee spoke. "What the hell?"
"Sorry to interrupt –"
"You better be –"
"Lee." Kain's calming influence softened the tone. "I told you about my upcoming business trip and I didn't know when."
Having used it, Zero could feel the power leaving Kain, permeating the air. Lee huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. Zero lifted his eyes to the scene, finding only Lee in the room. Catching sight of him, Lee wrapped his housecoat around himself, jumped off the island and made his way to the door, his narrowing eyes in slits. "Don't think you can have him."
"Huh?" Zero blinked, studying the smaller boy.
"He might screw you but, he'll always come home to me." Lee remarked, eyeing Zero skeptically. He made a snort. The familiar guard shook his head imperceptibly.
"… Thanks?" Zero tilted his head, glad to see Kain as he reappeared, fully dressed this time. He pressed a kiss to Lee's forehead, his bag filled with bare essentials. He didn't speak until they were on the elevator.
"Thank you for taking that in stride." Zero nodded. Kain continued. "And, don't let him get in your head."
"What exactly did he mean?"
"He saw us at Ruuka's party and…" Kain shrugged. "The rest of that is history."
"… I see."
"Do we know how many?" Kain asked.
"No. Just that there are some."
"… Can I call shot gun?"
"I'll leave you behind."
"Are you driving?"
"Probably for the first bit, yeah."
"Then, shot gun."
A/N: Not sure if that was good or not – it's almost two am here. Sweet dreams, my darlings.