A/N: Greeting, my dear readers. This update was overdue. ಥ_ಥ I have been struggling with my muses, as well as writing different perspectives of this story. It's proving hard with each chapter writing the point of view of each person, but I will try my best. (/)w(\✿)

Special thanks to KayQueen and Zerovk for helping me out. ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ

Warnings: un-betaed, manipulation, bi-polar behavior, dark thoughts

Chapter 14: Valley of Shadows

(Isaya)

"Your eyes ... they are beginning to look like Zero-sama."

With a restrained tone, Isaya disclosed his recent finding to the pureblood; turquoise orbs narrowing down on his shoes contemplatively. He had noticed the change the moment Kaname had woken up, looking through him with half-lidded eyes, with a color so similar to the Hio pureblood, that he decided to say nothing – not a single word to sate his bewilderment.

The more he stared at the pureblood, the more daunting Kaname (and his eyes) became. It was weird, peculiar – and yet, at the same time, he could not cast his eyes off the man.

Daring. Compelling. Alluring. The gaze was everything that was not Kaname, but a certain Hio pureblood, a person he had been acquainted with on many occasions; and yet, did not have the courage to stare into eyes of the man without feeling uneasy.

Despite himself, the resemblance alone left a bittersweet in his mouth. He rubbed his lips with the back of his hand, closing his eyes in disdain. Death would be more welcoming; appreciated in comparison to witnessing a day where Kaname morphed into a person of Hio Zero's caliber.

It would simply be unpleasant, and he decided not to ponder over notion more than necessary. But, even if he had come to a decision, doubts, questions, and assumptions kept bombarding his mind, and with a sigh, he gave them another thought, contemplating silently whether they would be useful to his cause.

The hue of Kaname's irises certainly had changed, into a color that he abhorred, but the question here was, why? What was the cause? Why would they be similar to a pureblood family that had no (documented-wise) relations with the Kurans?

Inquiries made him more confused, and there was a greater number of them in relation to factual answers.

A sigh escaped his lips, and Isaya massaged his temples, urging his ingenious brain to work and provide him with a solution to his puzzlement. To his chagrin, it did not work in the slightest. He almost gave up, feeling ridiculous for looking into something that was not there.

However, as feelings of absurdity were about to set, a piece of information, one that he nearly overlooked, made itself known to him through his thoughts, and he pursed his lips; eyes darkening with revelation.

If the hue of Kaname's eyes looked similar to the Hio pureblood; if the gaze reminded him of the man, could he not safely assume that Zero Hio had answers to his doubts?

He was the sole survivor of the Hio family, a tragedy really, but if there was someone out there, who shared a similar blood relation to the man, wouldn't the pureblood do everything in his power to protect them?

Perhaps, it could also be one of the reasons Zero-san did not want him anywhere near Kaname – or maybe, he was, once again, overthinking and making things up to lessen his befuddlement.

If the prior option was the actual case here, and there was more than one explanation to Zero-san's blind devotion to Kaname, could he, metaphorically speaking, use this as a leverage against the silver-haired pureblood?

But, before Isaya could ponder over his suspicious to a further degree, his thoughts were interrupted by a cracked, barely audible words of one Kuran Kaname,

"W-What do you mean?"

His heart ached at the gloominess of the tone.

Truthfully, at first, he had planned to keep his mouth shut; withholding the information of the Kaname's current eye color to himself – until he deemed fit; until there was an absolute certainty that the alteration had nothing to do with Zero-sama.

But, since his noisiness knew no bounds, curiosity got the best of him, and he had spoken, of an admission that he hoped would shake the ground beneath the pureblood's feet. If Kaname had information concerning this peculiar modification, his questions would be answered and his life would become even more interesting.

If not, he would still get to see Kaname uncomfortable.

Sigh.

The things he did in the name of love.

Isaya cocked his head to the side, studying his former lover through the corner of his eyes. Kaname seemed shocked; startled – utterly so. Maybe, he should not have said anything?

...Or perhaps, this was what he wanted to see?

Well, whatever it was, he could not undo his words. What was done was done. There was no going back.

At least, he was certain of one thing: Kaname had no idea what was happening to him – or the reason for the sudden change of his eye color. The pureblood was as puzzled as he was, delightfully so, a reaction Isaya found rather pleasant.

He was not the only one.

"Look yourself in the mirror. Only then you will be able to understand my words." He responded, lips curling into a small smile,"I am going to get some food now, Kaname. Be good and wait for me here, alright?"

Kaname raised his head slightly, looking him silently through his bangs, and Isaya averted his gaze away immediately, exiting the room without waiting for a confirmation. Emotions, strange and abnormal, riddled in those eyes, and despite himself, he was unable to look at them for another second.

It filled him with chagrin.

He gently closed the door behind him, a heavy exhalation slipping from his lips. Something was changing in Kaname, threatening to emerge, not only with his looks – but his aura was becoming more foreboding as well.

It scared him. He did not like it. He wanted Kaname to stay the same.

If Kaname morphed into someone that made him feel uneasy, afraid, and restless, everything he did, was about to do, would all be for nothing

He would be nothing.

Quite a devastating future. He sighed again, sliding away from the door and walking towards the kitchen. He was being irrational. Foolish. Maybe, staying in this house, with Kaname present, had shaken him more than his initial expectations.

He needed to bring up his game. After all, what he was about to do, needed every expertise that he possessed. It was everything he had waited for. All the hard work. All the sleepless nights.

It was a chance to get what he had lost; what belonged to him in the first place. Failure could not be afforded – at least, not now.

A determined look emerged on his face, and with a grin, he nodded to himself, resuming his stroll to the kitchen.

Everything Zero Hio had sacrificed for, every ounce of pain the pureblood had to endure for Kaname, he would ruin it with definite certainty – and as the asshole that he was deemed to be, the satisfaction to see the pureblood's doom would be worth everything he had gone through to acquire Kaname.

Was he simply not wicked?

His grin morphed into a wide smirk, and he thrust his hands into his pockets, replaying and adjusting his plans to an orderly sequence.

The fun was about to begin.

(Haruka)

Days passed, the earth never stopped revolving, people carried on with their daily lives: everything was normal, and yet, for him, the world; his life had come to a serious halt.

Would things ever be the same for him?

Haruka compressed his lips bitterly, turning to the left corner and parking his car on an abandoned valley. The place seemed dangerous – and extremely dirty, he noted with disgust. Humans lurked around the edges of the run-down building, trudging closer to his location – as silently as possible; as to avoid being detected.

If they knew what he actually was, would they still attempt? Or run away with their tails between their legs? He would humor himself by finding out the answers, but since his mood was as terrible as it could get, he paid no heed to these obnoxious, mortal creatures.

If they wanted a fight, he would give them one with the prospect of enjoying their unsavory blood to the best of his abilities. He was hungry – for blood and murder. The treaty could very well go to hell for all he cared. Draining humans, ones who would not be missed on this planet, were the least of his worries.

He had more important things to attend to.

Kaname.

With reluctance, Haruka shoved his hand into his pocket and grabbed his cell phone, eyeing the inanimate object dismayingly. Every day, for hours, he had the dialed the number zealously, but every single time, to his disappointment, the calls would be transferred to a voice message.

He was being ignored, a feeling that he was not accustomed to or had the desire to be. It felt even worse than being rejected – as if he did not matter at all.

A strangled breath slipped past his lips.

Why was Kaname not answering him? Why would Isaya answer from the phone of his spouse? Where the fuck was Kaname even?

Jealousy, irritation, anger surged through his entire being, and Haruka slammed his head against the steering wheel, closing his eyes in frustration. He had looked everywhere – his house, his father's mansion, the Shoto family villa, and even his brother's residence, the same place where humiliation was still fresh in his mind.

But, to his dismay, he had no damn luck. Kaname had disappeared from his sight.

What had he done this time?

Haruka heaved an exasperated breath, burgundy orbs glazing with pain. It felt like nobody wanted him, let alone desired him. Zero degraded him without reserve, blatantly choosing his brother over him. Rido allowed the humiliation to take place, not a word for his defense. When he had dropped by earlier to their house, looking for Kaname, he was greeted neither by Zero or Rido, but by their mere servants, adding to his burning shame.

And, most importantly of all, Kaname... his Kaname was nowhere to be found, in a place that was not known to him; with a man that he detested with every fiber of his being.

Everyone had abandoned him to pursue their own desires. Was he that despicable? He was a creature of earth, and like anyone else in the world, he had made mistakes that managed to hurt people.

Why was it then, whenever he had acted out of line, nobody forgave him?

Haruka closed his eyes, hoping to hold the tears for a bit longer. It hurt. His heart ached. His body thrummed with unimaginable pain – and there was no one to soothe his feelings this time around.

He was completely alone.

The admission made him even more miserable, and Haruka dug his nails into the steering wheel, his teeth clenching tightly.

He should not be blaming himself. It was not his fault – at least, not this time. They caught him when he was the most vulnerable; ganged up against him when his state of mind was left defenseless.

His anguish must have humored them to the fullest. He was certain. Rido must be ecstatic to witness Zero defending him by dishonoring Haruka in the process. Was this planned beforehand? Was this why Zero had been acting strangely with him these past few days?

A grunt escaped his lips.

It could be a possibility. After all, what person would defend his assailant? He had been struck. Only because he had stood up against his brother in order to protect Zero.

The logic made no sense. Nothing seemed to anymore. He should have been praised for his actions, not assaulted for doing the right thing.

What the hell was wrong with them?

Haruka gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing to slits. It seemed like he had to stop playing the decent person and show everyone, including his brother, their rightful places.

Zero Hio would be at the top of his list.

A sigh of exasperation was heaved, and Haruka slid his fingers into his hair, squeezing his eyes shut. The Hio pureblood made all of this harder on him. If he had chosen him; if he had stood by him against his brother; if Zero had not led him on...

He, Kuran Haruka, would not have turned out to be like this. Kaname would have had a husband that loved him the way he desired to be loved. Rido would have had a brother that cared for him as much as the pureblood did towards him.

Everything was Zero's fault. Why had he been so blind? How could he allow a Hio like Zero, a creature devoid of morals, be the reason for his demise?

He had been foolish enough to delude himself into believing that Zero could harbor any feelings for him after getting betrothed to his brother. It was simply bizarre to even consider it, and yet, he had foolishly believed the lie for so many years.

Why had it taken him this long? Every detail was clear to him now. Was he waiting for common sense to be smacked into him?

The notion alone made him flush with embarrassment. He took a deep breath, fluttering his eyes open. The more he thought about Zero, the more it made his temper boil; increasing his blood pressure.

However, despite his raging anger, there was a longing in his heart, a feeling that caused him to miss Kaname; to remember his affections, his forgiveness that the pureblood had given him countless of times in the past.

Was it too late? Haruka grounded his teeth; fingers trembling with frustration as he dialed the number yet again. He would make Zero pay for every offense that was done against him, but now, at this moment, he only wanted one person.

And it was certainly not the Hio pureblood.

"The number you have called is unreachable. Please try again."

Violently, he tossed the phone away to the side, burying his face into the crook of his arm; screaming loudly against the material of his tailored-shirt.

Kaname had no right to ignore him. He had done nothing wrong to the pureblood to receive his wrath. He should be the one feeling livid. Kaname was with another man, someone that was not him; involving himself with activities that made his heart rage with jealousy.

But most importantly, his spouse was not here with him when his presence was paramount to his mental well-being. The pureblood should be feeling his distress through their blood bond, and yet, Kaname still refuse to answer him; to even care. Had his spouse forgotten the conditions of their agreement? Or was he just too 'busy' with Shoto Isaya to even give a damn about him?

Haruka could feel his throat tightened, moisture gathering in the corner of his eyes.

He felt betrayed – even more so compared to the time his brother had announced his engagement with Zero, not even bothering to ask if he was alright with it. He had been left behind then, and he was abandoned now as well – by the least people he had expected, the ones he held close to his heart.

Even Kaname was gone, with the possible intentions of never returning to him. He had somehow messed up, hadn't he? His lips compressed bitterly at the idea. If he thought about it clearly, with a perspective unriddled with bias, Kaname would not have left him if the reason was unreasonable. Haruka knew the pureblood to that extent, but what he could not comprehend was the reason why.

What could he have done? He was on his best behavior, wasn't he? There was merely no explanation to the pureblood's irrational behavior towards him, was there?

Or was he missing the entire point here?

He groaned loudly against the comfort of his arms, feelings of frustration bubbling within his chest. Overthinking, without having fact-based evidence, was not helping his situation in the slightest.

It was only making it worse.

From the corner of his eyes, Haruka caught the phone flashing, and his heart began beating wildly in his chest, squashing his incessant thoughts to the corner of his mind.

He knew Kaname would not be able to ignore him for a long period of time.

With unconcealed eagerness, he stretched his arm to grab the phone from the place of its abandonment. His hands were trembling and he could barely believe that his desperation was answered.

Was the Lord finally on his side?

His gaze landed on the name flashing on the screen of his phone and, almost instantly, his mood darkened.

It was Rido. What did his brother want from him?

He contemplated, only for a second, if he should answer it or not, quickly inclining towards the latter as being the best option, but as the phone kept ringing, he became more irritated with each second and finally answered the damn call, his tone barely rendering the blatant displeasure in his voice,

"What is it, Rido?

"Where the fuck are you?"

"Mind your language, brother."

There was a moment of silence over the speaker, but then, his brother spoke up, his voice sounding more composed than before, "Where are you, Haruka?"

To his surprise, Haruka himself had no idea. He had been mindlessly driving to nowhere, his mind occupied with apprehensive musings. It was no big deal, really. He had done it many times in the past, but this time, he did not want his brother to know that he was troubled; too weak to confront his problems head-on.

Rido would laugh at him for sure.

Immediately, mahogany orbs scanned the area, searching for an address of his destination, but to his chagrin, found none. However, what he did notice, was even more irritating, and yet, extremely satisfying to the beast inside of him. Humans had come closer, rounding his car (and him) with voracious gazes, their cheeks flushed with what he could only assume to be lust.

Was his desire to kill someone finally be gratified?

"Haruka?"

"I am at home." He lied through his teeth, hoping against all odds that Rido would buy his answer. Deceiving someone through the phone should be a piece of cake, right?

His brother proved him wrong once again.

"Since you were not picking up, I called your landline. Your butler informed me that neither you or Kaname were present." An exasperated sigh was heard from the other side of the line, and Haruka silently cursed under his breath, reeling with embarrassment for being caught right-handed in the lie.

Just what he needed, he thought sarcastically. His servants could not be more careless with their words.

"I am going to ask you again, Haruka. Where are you?"

With a sigh, he reclined back in his seat, running his fingers through his hair. Rido was being overbearing, to an extent of great annoyance. Did his brother think that things would return back to normal after what the pureblood had done to him? Did he actually assume he, Kuran Haruka, wanted to keep playing brothers with him after being humiliated in the pureblood's presence?

Rido was sadly mistaken. He wanted nothing to do with the older pureblood, and if Haruka could disown him, he would, without a second thought.

What a pity. Haruka groaned, cursing inwardly.

"In some deserted alley. I needed some time alone with myself." He decided that telling the truth was for the best. He wanted Rido out of his hair, and the faster he gave the pureblood his answers, the faster he would be able to get rid of the older man. Moreover, lying, with his mind all jumbled up, would make him look more of a fool than anything else.

He treasured his left-over dignity, thank you.

"What? Why? You know very well that those places are dangerous! Get out of there now!" Worry seeped into the pureblood's words, and Haruka found himself smiling, bemused by the entire ordeal.

Rido was a good actor. He had to give him that, but, instead of calling out the pureblood for his pretense, Haruka decided to play along, only for old time's sake.

He could do that much, now, couldn't he?

"Are you forgetting that I am a pureblood, brother?" He chuckled quietly, rosewood orbs glued to the ceiling, "Or do you think I am not strong enough?" The question was rhetorical, and Haruka did not expect an answer, but to hear the pureblood fumble with his words made his amusement even greater.

These small victories were of great joy, indeed.

With a concealed grin, he spoke again, depriving the pureblood of his chance to give him an appropriate response, "Enough with the questions. Tell me the reason for your call, Rido. If you only wanted to know about my whereabouts, I will be hanging up."

"No-" Another sigh from the pureblood, "I called you because the plane was about to take off."

Plane? His eyes widened, and Haruka placed a hand over his eyes, groaning loudly in exasperation. Fuck. How could he forget such an important meeting? His head was more messed up than he had expected, and to his chagrin, it was beginning to affect his work adversely.

Haruka had to suppress a sigh. The frustration was real, but the need to have a reprieve was even greater so.

"You didn't remember, did you?" The disappointment was loud and clear to him, and Haruka gritted his teeth, feelings of aggravation bubbling within his chest once again.

Was his brother trying to pick a fight with him?

"So? My life is not as complicated as yours, brother. I have more important things to deal with compared to sharing pleasantries with a bunch of phony nobles."

"Haruka, watch your tongue-"

"Leave me be. I am in no mood to receive your reprimands." His words were laced with venom, showing his outright displeasure at being talked down to, but at the same time, his heart tightened with grief; mahogany orbs unmasking the distress that was known to him and him alone.

Talking to Rido, hearing his voice, reminded him of moments; the humiliation that he desperately wanted to obliterate from his mind.

Was the wish to exterminate his brother from the face of this earth too much to ask for?

"Anything that bothers you, we could talk about it. Come here, Haruka. I will ask the pilot to delay the flight. This meeting is too important to be missed."

Haruka scoffed, a frown emerging on his features. Talk about it? The corner of his eye twitched in annoyance. Had his brother finally lost his mind?

"No, Rido, we cannot 'talk' about it. You lost that right when you betrayed me by marrying Zero; when you did not come to my defense when your beloved spouse humiliated me right in front of your eyes."

"Haruka, I-"

"I am hanging up. Goodbye, brother."

"Wait for one second, Kuran Haruka." Haruka paused in his action of ending the call, momentarily stunned by the tone of the pureblood's voice. What the heck? Rido had not used that tone against him – for a long time; not ever since he had transitioned into an adult.

What had caused the occasion? Was he nothing more than a mere child to the pureblood now?

The notion galled him to no end, but it vexed him even more that he had allowed himself to listen to the command and not hang up on the pureblood right there and then.

Rido's control over his unconsciousness seemed to be greater than what he had originally expected.

What a nasty, sickening feeling it was.

"You will not hang up on me. Not before you tell me one thing. What could possibly be more important to you than a meeting of absolute importance? One that would strengthen the coexistence of humans and vampires in our kingdoms? Have you forgotten the promise to our Father, dear brother?"

Haruka scowled, clenching his jaw tightly. Rido managed to hit a sore spot, throwing him off guard. However, as the stubborn Kuran that he was, Haruka did not let the accusation get to him and composed himself with ease.

The pureblood should think twice before speaking. His scowl deepened considerably.

"... My reasons for not attending the conference does not concern you, Rido." He knew the importance of the meeting all too well. There was no need for Rido to remind him of his duties. He wanted to attend, heck, he needed it, but he was not about to leave the city without knowing of Kaname's whereabouts; or his excuse for staying over another pureblood's house without even having the decency to consult him about it.

What kind of husband would he be if he left without getting the answers he wanted?

"... Is it because of Kaname?"

What? He sat up straight on his seat, his senses alert. Was he that obvious to his brother? Or Rido just happened to have mind-reading powers unknown to him?

Whatever the case was, he gave the pureblood no indication of his surprise.

"Pfft, don't make me laugh, Rido." He gave a short, mirthless laugh, but the agitated look in his eyes betrayed his lips, "Kaname is the least of my worries. I have other important matters to attend to, dealings that would secure my kingdom from harm. Unlike you, my brother, my world does not revolve around my spouse."

"Then..." There was a pause, a deafening silence that made his stomach curl into knots, "I presume you have no desire to know about Kaname's whereabouts."

Suddenly, the window of his car shattered, but Haruka paid no heed to the broken pieces in the slightest, his mind reeling with apprehension.

How did his brother know where Kaname was? Why did he know that? Answers could wait, but for now, he wanted the information that Rido had – and he would be damned if he could not get it out of the pureblood as soon as possible.

Time was of the essence, and there was not a moment to waste.

"Where is Kaname, brother?"

"I thought he was the least of your worries?"

He growled threateningly into the phone,"Nii-sama!"

A wry chuckle from the pureblood made Haruka even more infuriated. But, before he could give Rido an earful of his colorful, brazen curse words, the man responded; tone solemn and composed yet again.

"I will tell you Kaname's location on one condition."

The grasp on his phone tightened, and Haruka pursed his lips, knowing very well that the condition would not suit his tastes at all. However, despite having the feeling of doom growing within his chest, he exhaled a long breath, eyes narrowing down dangerously on his lap.

"Name your condition, Rido."

"Stay away from Zero."

His heart suddenly went still. A protest was on the tip of his tongue, raging to be escaped, but Rido shushed him, beating him with a response of his own.

"We are going to start a family. Your presence in Zero's life will no longer be needed, Haruka. Do the right thing once in your life, please."

Words, after the first phrase, fell deaf on his ears, and before his mind could register the rest of the sentences, at that moment, the door of his car was wrenched open, and bright-crimson eyes met with a pair of terrified orbs, silencing the man before the human could even get the chance to beg for his life.

Why did it have to come to this? Where was the fairness in all of this?

Tears burned his eyes. Agonizing pain shot to every inch of his body. It was excruciating to even breathe.

But even then, nothing seemed to appease the raging beast inside of him. Nothing at all.

He was a lost cause.

More screams of terror were heard. Wails of mercy were uttered. The sight of blood was everywhere around him, on him, but despite all of the misery, he still managed to hear Rido's words before the line went dead; as the specks of humanity within him flickered off.

"...Get Kaname before you lose him too, Haruka."

All hell broke loose.

A/N: Tada, this chapter was not my best, but if you read it until the end, thank you! (¤﹏¤) Now, I wonder who was behind that door. ٩(×̯×)۶ I also wanted to include Kaname's perspective, but the chapter was ending to be too long, so I will leave it until the next update. If you have any idea what Isaya's plan is, you shall receive a cookie, haha. ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ One clue: It's horrendous.

To those who have reviewed (ben4kevin, Zerovk, horrorstar100, Kay Queen, LuanRina, WeirdBlackCat, alisjackson59 & perce-neige), fave/alerted, and read my story, you have my utmost gratitude. *bows* Thank you so much. ●‿●

Feedback/Reviews are always appreciated!

With that said, I shall bid farewell. Have a wonderful day/night! ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ