Chapter Text
Kiryu Zero was getting tired of being locked up.
Well, that was an understatement and it gave that damn headmaster too much credit. As if he'd ever manage to overcome Zero's raw strength. The idea was comical, to say the least. He could imagine it in his head vividly, that blonde-haired idiot jumping around, trying to capture him.
It wasn't like he was literally caged up—he was merely on a probation of sorts. He was restricted to Cross Academy, yes, his only non-debatable activities being his classes and if he so desired, his duties as prefect. He could wander the campus, visit the moon dorm, eat meals with this classmates. He could still see Yuuki.
But he didn't. He rarely ventured out of his room other than classes and prefect duties, and rarely even those. He couldn't see Yuuki; not when he was so dangerous the way he was. Last time he'd gotten within ten feet of her—his best friend!—he'd lost control and practically pounced on her. He'd so very nearly drained her dry and he'd been nearly killed by Kaname, who was righteously pissed. Rightly pissed, too. Kaname had warned him that if he hurt Yuuki again, he would be punished. And boy, was he punished.
When Kaname had left Zero's room later that night, Zero had been unable to walk. His right leg was fractured, the other broken. There was a pattern of bruises splaying across his upper body like ink stains, a nauseating mixture of blue, black, and green that made him look like he'd just come out of a filthy pond. Zero had been in bed for two months and Headmaster Cross had been worried he had internal bleeding.
But his legs had healed within the month and any internal damage he may have suffered at the pureblood's hands had healed as well. The extra month was insisted upon by Cross, just to make sure he was well.
He knew he couldn't blame Kaname. It had been his own fault. He had known he was close to the edge, but he had wanted to see her and so he did. He was selfish. So very selfish.
And Zero was starving. Quite literally.
Since that incident, Kaname had not come to sustain him with his pure vampire blood and that was possibly the worst punishment Kaname could give him. Zero was doing all he could to refrain from going level E. Because that would be worse. He didn't want to go level E—and he didn't want Kaname to have to kill him.
Zero had seen Kaname kill before. He'd seen Kaname kill her, he'd seen the pureblood's eyes turn a dark crimson, promising violence. He'd felt the shiver go down his spine as that blood-soaked hand had punctured that bitch's chest. If Kaname was anything, he was fucking scary when pissed.
Zero had calmed down since being "locked up". He used to have a temper of fire; now he barely got angry about anything. When he'd hurt Yuuki, and Kaname and beaten him, Zero hadn't even resisted him. That was probably why the damage had been so extensive; he didn't fight. He simply let Kaname throw him around. Yuuki liked saying he'd become an empty shell, but he was pretty sure that was an exaggeration—he was simply exhausted. Very, very exhausted.
"Zero!"
The hunter—or rather, ex-hunter; he was under the opinion that he didn't count if he happened to be one of the monsters he was supposed to hunt—groaned, leaning back against the bed sheets.
"Yuuki."
She sighed, her happy energy dimming as she caught wind of his bad mood—as if he spent his time being anything but angsty or crabby these days.
"Can't you seem happy to see me, at least once?" she griped. "I come to visit you and you never let me in. We see each other, what, once a month now? You don't even come to class much anymore, and—" Zero wondered absently why she was complaining about him not letting her in when she was in the habit of just barging in anyway.
"For the love of God, Yuuki, would you please just let it go?" he requested quietly, peering up at her with his unusual violet eyes. "And go in general."
"Why?" she demanded, hands on her frail little hips. "You're always telling me to leave. I'm sick of leaving you all alone."
"I'm hungry, Yuuki!" he snapped at her. "Do you remember what happened the last time I was hungry around you?" The brunette paled, but her fists didn't unclench. He felt bad for speaking to her so rudely, and even worse for reminding her of all the times he'd fed on her, but he could feel his fangs throbbing at the very promise of the blood moving through the girl's veins. He didn't appreciate being teased with it and even though he knew it wasn't what she was doing purposely, it still felt that way to him.
"Kaname came after you," she replied quietly. "I told him not to, you know. That I was fine."
"But you weren't," Zero said bitterly, his nails digging into his palms through the bed sheets he was fisting. "Even a fool could see that. I hurt you." Then, quieter… "Like a monster. I hurt you." Yuuki glared at him.
"Don't call yourself that, stupid. You're not a monster. You're a vampire. There's a difference!"
"Oh, yeah," he snorted, ignoring her look of indignation. "A real distinct difference." She rolled her vermillion eyes, a movement he only caught in passing. He disliked making direct eye contact with Yuuki just for the color of her eyes—a deep shade of red, so similar to his. "Yuuki, you really should go. I'm tired of damaging you."
"Damage me?" she repeated, incredulous. "Damage me? What's got you talking like you've just walked out of a sixth century horror novel?" She put her hands on her hips again. "What's next? Uncouth?" Zero laughed, despite himself and his predicament.
"Yuuki," he said in a gruff, teasing voice. "You're being so uncouth, it's a wonder that Kuran is even still interested in you! No, wait, that's not right. That's why he's—"
"Zero, you big meanie!" she giggled. He promised himself not to make fun of her for her elementary school name-calling, but when he spoke again he was thinking he maybe should have, because he killed the mood instead.
"Please, Yuuki, just…" he sighed, settling down again. Yuuki sighed as well, leaning over to kiss his forehead.
"All right, I'll go," she complied, smiling softly. "But, Zero?"
"Yeah?"
"You know you're my best friend, right?" she asked. "In the whole world, you know me better than anyone else. Like, ever. Even better than Kaname-sama."
"I know, Yuuki-chan." She smiled again, feeling accomplished.
"I'm not gonna stay away, Zero," she promised. "I will be back. If you weren't so adamant about me leaving I'd be staying a hell of a lot longer than I am now."
"I know you will, you stubborn girl," Zero chuckled. "Why I love you, after all."
"Love you, too," she called from the door, waving. "Sexist bastard!" He waved back, laughing at her last minute insult, keeping the hand up until the door slammed shut.
He did. He loved Yuuki. He wasn't in love with Yuuki, and she knew that, but he loved her all the same. She was his companion, his best friend. The only one who'd always accepted him, who'd made sure that he was if not happy, then not suicidal.
She'd caught him at that point, once. Just after he'd bitten her the first time. She had walked in just as Zero was about to pull the trigger of his Bloody Rose when she'd pounced him unexpectedly. Her shriek of 'no' still stung his ears. He winced at the very thought. If he wasn't causing her physical pain, he was hurting her emotionally. He sighed.
"Well, she's still alive. Kudos to you, Kiryu."
Zero's eyes snapped open, focusing on the door with undisguised loathing.
He didn't know why he looked at the vampire like that. He didn't hate him, most certainly not, but sometimes he just made him feel so inferior, and Zero hated that. He was just as important as Kuran! He may not be the last pureblood (because he certainly wasn't a pureblood at all), or the most handsome boy at school, or the most charming, but he was… what was he? He was strong, but Kuran was stronger, and was most definitely smarter.
Then he reminded himself. He was Yuuki's best friend, the foster child of the headmaster, and a damn good hunter, even if he couldn’t call himself that officially any longer.
"Shut up, Kaname," Zero grumbled, forcing himself into a straighter sitting position instead of the lazy slouch he'd had before. "I can control myself for five minutes."
"Oh, yes, I forget," he said smoothly, the sarcasm and underlayer instead of the forefront tone. "It's anything over that where you become a crazy, blood-crazed beast intent on sucking my dear girl dry." Zero glared at him.
"You take being an asshole to new levels," he told him bluntly. "It's people like you that remind me not to be a fucking hypocrite." He shot Kaname a dirty look. The brunette shrugged gracefully, the white material of his uniform lifting and falling on his muscular shoulders.
"Your rude comments fail to faze me anymore, Kiryu," he said nonchalantly. "However, they will not go unpunished. You have resisted devouring Yuuki, and for that I applaud you. Why, I was ready to allow you my blood." His eyes were sharp as daggers, cold steel. "But then I come and you sass me like you think you are better than me? Tsk, tsk, Zero. Very inconsiderate. I think the blood I was going to offer you will come at a price now."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Kuran!" he snapped, struggling not to yell at him. He had to admit; it was a hard task. He knew Kaname wasn't all bad—the man (vampire, whatever) worked for peace between the two main races, cared so deeply for Yuuki… but sometimes, he could be such an asshole! A horrible, sadistic asshole.
"Did you not hear me, Kiryu?" he mocked, coming ever closer to the bed which in turn inspired Zero to scoot further away, toward the wall. "I said, there is now a price to the salvation I can offer you."
"A price? Are you fucking me?" He was starting to get uncomfortable and on top of that, he was quickly becoming outraged. Would Kaname honestly be so cruel?
"Not yet!"
This voice was entirely new—higher pitched and almost melodious. Zero knew that voice, knew it quite well, and with a start his eyes jumped from the irritated vampire to the girl standing in the doorway behind him.
She had green eyes framed by long brown lashes and a pleased smile that made those orbs glitter like she knew something he didn't. She was short for her age, but what she lacked in height, she made up in mounds of unruly chocolate brown curls that framed her face and bounced on her back as she tumbled into the room, the bangs straightened and threaded with neon orange that matched the loose off-the-shoulder shirt she wore. With it, she wore a pair of Converse (only god knew how long it had been since he'd seen a pair of those).
Zero was shocked speechless. Kaname, on the other hand, was simply confused.
"Hello?" she asked, drawing the word out teasingly, her hand on the strap of her messenger bag as she walked into the room. "Did you fall on your head or something, Z? I'm not willing to play babysitter to you if you've got head damage, you know…"
Zero was dumbstruck, barely able to make his mouth form the word he desired. "Miyu…?"
She nodded happily, leering at him, before…
"Oh, Zero! You've no clue how much I've missed you!" Officially named "Miyu", she literally jumped on him, wrapping him in a choke hold that cut off his air supply. Unlike with most, Zero had no unbearable desire to bite down. Instead, he could focus solely on untangling her from him.
"Miyu-chan! Miyu-chan, let me—go, hey, Miyu, you're hurting me—ah!" Zero cried out as she accidentally squeezed a bit too hard, making Kaname glower at her like she was something disgusting and potentially dangerous.
"Ack!" she squeaked, terrified, as she pulled away. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Z, I just got a little carried away! Oh… oh, dear…"
"Would you like to explain all of this, Kiryu?" Kaname asked dryly through clenched teeth, gesturing to the small girl still clinging to the half-vampire in a less life-threatening embrace. "Just to clear up all this confusion." The words were malice coated, though why Kaname would have such an aversion to his tiny friend, Zero couldn't imagine. Either way, Kaname's current expression was the tiniest bit frightening.
"Kuran," he sighed, giving up on ungluing Miyu from his side. "This is my friend, Miyu. We knew each other before I came to Cross Academy. End of explanation."
Miyu rolled her eyes. "I'm a vampire," she added. "Almost pureblood."
Kaname's eyes widened.
"A pureblood?" he repeated. Zero could almost see the questions scrolling through Kaname's brain—if she's pureblood, why don't I know her? Is she illegitimate? Where has she been all these years?
"Almost," she corrected. "Well, anyway, that's how Zero-kun and I met; his master was hunting me because he thought I killed some girl in a town nearby where they were staying. Terrible incident."
"So why aren't you dead?" Kaname asked pointedly, getting over his shock quickly enough. The girl, obviously not completely Japanese, rolled her eyes, but Zero beat her to the punch.
"Kuran!" Zero snapped, not liking Kaname's tone. His voice could be sweeter than honey and softer than velvet (it disturbed Zero that he could make those comparisons), but right now it was hard and cold, threatening harm—threatening Miyu harm. He couldn't let anything happen to her.
"What?" he snapped back, turning his eyes on Zero. It seemed to the silver-haired vampire that he looked sort of betrayed. Zero just couldn't understand it—but when did he ever understand the vampire's emotions?
"You're acting like she's some big threat!" Zero growled, his grip on the brunette becoming protective. "You look like you're gonna kill her. Back down." Miyu, observing all of this, rolled her eyes, shaking Zero's arm off of her and sliding to the edge of the bed, standing and putting a hand on her hips.
"Z, you know as well as I do that I can take care of myself," she snorted. "Quit acting like an overprotective mother hen."
"Oh, yeah? He's a pureblood, Miyu!" Zero argued. She gave him a mocking gasp.
"Oh, god! A pureblood!" she screeched in ersatz fear. She dropped the act. "Zero, I'm armed. You know that."
"So? A gun isn't gonna do much against that bastard!" He heard an indignant huff, though it was ignored by both parties
"Did I ever say a gun is all I have on me?" she demanded, putting her hand on her hourglass hips, much like Yuuki had not an hour before.
"What else do you have then, Miyu?" Zero asked, his eyes hard. She rolled hers.
"I have two guns, a taser, and mace—which you know as well as I do works on any species. Anything else you think I need before I'm allowed to talk with the big, bad Kuran Kaname-san?" she asked with raised eyebrows that made a small eyebrow piercing glint in the light from the lamp.
Zero backed down, but not without a weird look and a curious, "Why do you have a taser on you?" Miyu laughed but they were interrupted by the very annoyed pureblood.
"Why aren't you dead?" Kaname repeated, not caring what Zero's answer was.
"Because Zero found me first," she said simply, easily finding her way back to the topic at hand. "Zero and I talked for a while and figured out pretty fast that I was innocent. He convinced his master and I was released."
Kaname looked disgruntled that she had a reasonable explanation and quickly fired another question at her. "Why are you armed, anyway?" Kaname asked.
"Why do you keep asking me questions?"
"Why do you have more than one gun?"
Zero was the one who broke the string of inquiries. "She's been living on the street, you dolt," he answered, eager to get the battle over and done with. Miyu could be a right headache if she was trying to be and Zero really couldn't deal with one of those at the moment. "And on top of that, she's part of the secret police force or whatever for your kind—"
"Our kind—" Kaname interjected with a sour look, but was railroaded by Zero as he continued with what he was saying.
"—so she's always armed in hopes she gets to shoot someone like you," he finished snidely. Kaname's mouth shut with a snap, his eyes like daggers, his jaw clenched.
The minute Zero got the words out, however, Miyu smacked him on the back of the head. He flinched away from her and rubbed the sore spot, making a face.
"It's impolite to brag, Z," she told him shrewdly, ignoring the look he was giving her.
"It's not bragging if the one involved isn't saying it," he argued, trying to massage away the pain.
"Enough!" Kaname hollered and they both turned to look at him, Miyu with bored curiosity and Zero with surprise and more than a little dread. He'd been avoiding Kaname getting that pissed off by getting in the middle of their spat, but it looked like he'd just been getting more angry instead of calmer. "You! Girl, get out!"
"No!" she snapped.
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
Kaname growled wordlessly at her unwavering form. "Fine," he snapped. "Let Zero die; it's not like I give a damn." With that he stalked out, his shoes clacking on the wood floors. The two watched him leave, one with a distinctly miserable expression. Miyu groaned, sitting down on the edge of Zero's bed.
"I'm sorry, Z," she said miserably. "I just got carried away. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but he was acting so pompous I had to fight with him. You know me."
"It's okay, Miyu-chan," Zero mumbled, distracted. Since when did Kaname call him Zero? He shook his head to clear the thought. He had to stop thinking about the pureblood. Nothing good ever came of it, after all.
Miyu had gone by dinner time, leaving Zero to his complicated thoughts. Turns out she'd been invited by Cross; unsurprising, and yet her arrival completely astounded Zero. He hadn't seen her since he was… what? Twelve? They'd been kids back then, just on the cusp of being teenagers. So happy, so adventurous. After that encounter on that hunting trip, they'd done everything together. They were best friends, for nearly three years.
"Is it okay for me to come in, Kiryu-san?" came a dark, angry voice from the hall.
"You never listen to what I say, anyway, you damn vampire, so I don't know why you're asking. You might as well come in; you know you're going to anyway." He fiddled with the book he'd been attempting to read to distract himself from his own musings before setting it aside.
Kaname stepped through the door, carrying two plates. One of considerably less full than the other, presumably for Kaname. It was common knowledge that vampires didn't need much "mortal" food as humans did, and Zero was considerably more human than the other was. He slammed the fuller tray down in front of the emotionally worn Zero, who pulled it in front of him, picking at it's contents half-heartedly.
"She really didn't like me," Kaname noted quietly as he pulled a chair to Zero's side and sat down, popping a strawberry into his mouth.
"You were acting like a stuck-up prat," Zero said, trying halfheartedly to be insulting. "Not much different than usual, but she thought you were acting like an ass—not too different than my observation—so she decided to even the score. As it was, you were being quite the bastard."
"Me?" Kaname snapped in return, though his voice wasn't half as angry as it was earlier. "I was the one acting like a bastard? You're the one who completely disregarded the fact that we were having an important conversation so you could get glomped on by some four-foot-tall pixie with attitude!" This was the rudest thing Zero had ever heard Kaname say. It was, surprisingly, much more like a regular teenager and barely sounded like the normal, refined Kuran.
"Why are we arguing about this?" Zero demanded. "It's in the past. What are your terms?"
"For what?"
"Your fucking price!" Zero clarified with a bit more hostility than he'd meant to. "For your blood." He squirmed despite the anger at the mere thought of Kaname's stipulation simply for the fact that he had said what he just had. Zero had degraded himself so badly he was referring to his need for Kaname's precious blood casually, as if it didn't ruin his self-esteem every step of the way.
"I want you," Kaname said quietly, his finger lightly tracing the rim of his glass—blood tablet water, Zero assumed.
Zero froze.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded, scooting as far away from the close-to-pissed-off vampire as he possibly could while in bed. His face was a deep shade of scarlet.
Kaname sighed. "Zero, my obtuse little vampire, why is it so hard to believe that I do not dislike you?"
"Because you spend half your time cursing my very existence," he said bluntly, fighting the urge to bite his lip. He didn't want Kaname to know the extent of his request's affect on him.
"A cover up," Kaname admitted smoothly, though his leg was twitching, telling Zero how truly unnerved he was by the entire situation. "For how I really feel. So you have your options. Go level E or submit to me."