AN: If you have read my Kaname/Zero stories starting from "the Beast Within" all the way to "Scarlet Silken Spiderweb", you will familiar with my sadistic side…This is merely an experiment on a more violent, practically insane side of Kaname Kuran. After all, vampires aren't all for rainbows and roses, and a purebloods even less. The story will contain graphic torture and sexual violence. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

"Absolutely not!" Zero was seething. "Go to your own little party with the vampire nobility, Kuran, and leave me out of your pleasant social activity!"

He whirled around and strode away, hands clenched by his side. For all that the blood bond should have drawn these two closer, there was no love lost between them. Every now and then he degraded himself by asking Kaname for blood. Kaname would take something else from him in return. There was never affection, only mutual tolerance.

"Kiryuu!"

The voice rang out, sharp and cold as cracking stone on the paved courtyard.

"You will attend. Be at my room an hour beforehand, dressed as someone befitting your station."

Then Kaname was gone, and with nobody to hear his retort, Zero was left with the acrid taste of fury and helplessness on his tongue. He cursed bitterly. Someone befitting your station. He knew what that was, alright. A level D ex-human, more often than not, a slave.

He turned up anyway. Starched white pants and jacket, plain and unadorned save for a dark tie and the earring.

Zero strode in without knocking, intent on showing his ill temper as much as possible.

Kaname was adjusting a jacket in the mirror.

"Take that scowl off your face, Kiryuu."

"I'll do whatever I want, thank you very much!"

"Get this straight, Zero. I don't want a political and social burden anymore than you. Yuuki begged me to protect you from the vampire council and your supposed murder of Shizuka Hiou, and the easiest and most effective way is to publicly show that you are mine."

"Yours?" Zero sputtered, going red in the face.

"Mine." Kaname reiterated, turning away from the mirror and looking into Zero's eyes. "My possession, and therefore out of the council's power. So, keep your eyes on the floor."

"Kuran – "

"Keep your head lowered at all times.

"Speak to no one unless you are spoken to.

"Never look anybody in the eye.

"Walk behind me at all times, one step back and to the left.

"Follow my lead.

"Stand behind when I am sitting."

And so on, a long list of rules that Zero memorized against his will as they sat in the car, tense and full of resentment.

"You do have a choice, you know. Me – or the council. And unless you prefer the latter, stay out of trouble." Flashing his teeth in a handsome smile. Kaname stepped out of the car as the door was opened. Zero did a beat later. Some choice.

He shadowed Kuran the whole night, avoiding eye contact which he was only too pleased to do. After awhile of socializing and chatting, Kaname took a seat on a raised dais which Zero could only assume was for purebloods or very high ranking nobility. Zero stood behind Kaname, and was free to let his gaze wander – nobody would dare bother a pureblood doing "business".

"Have you acquired yourself a new pet, Kuran-sama?" a woman's voice purred over clinking glassware. It set Zero's teeth and hair on edge.

"Miss Souen, you do remember Toga Yagari? This is his former pupil, Zero Kiryuu."

"Silver hair…silver skin…how rare in a human – oho, exhuman, I mean…do you mind if a take a closer look, Kuran-sama?"

"My pleasure, miss Souen. Kiryuu, come."

Eyes down. Face expressionless. Don't slouch like a human –

"Madam," he greeted hoarsely. From what he could see of her smooth hands and legs, and the long waist length hair, she was beautiful – Ruka Souen's mother or aunt or sister, perhaps?

Cool fingers, slenderer than Kaname's, brushed his neck tattoo gently.

"Exquisite eyes, like grape stained zircons…You have this one tamed by magic, Kuran-sama?"

Kaname chuckled. "No, that was done by Headmaster Cross in case he attacked human students. I would not have needed this…"

"Oh, of course…" some laughter at that.

"What does he do, Kuran-sama? Surely the pupil of Toga Yagari has some interesting talents..." another woman's voice, her tones rising and falling suggestively.

"He has many talents that I know of …and probably quite a few more that I have yet to discover."

There was more laughter, as though Zero wasn't burning in shame, as though he wasn't there or as though he was too dumb to understand that he was being made sexual sport of. Kaname was just enjoying it, you could tell.

"I am surprised that you dare to bring this convict to such a formal setting, Kuran-sama." This was from a deep voice that rang of age and ancient power.

There was a perceptible shift in the atmosphere, as though the lesser pawns were sitting back and letting the alpha males of each side take their place on stage.

"On the contrary, Ichijou sama, I believe that exposure to vampire society and custom is an effective way of incorporating coexistence, if not peace, within our kind."

"And what about the claim that he was responsible for the death of our Princess?"

Ichijou wasn't openly accusing that Zero was responsible, or that Kaname was shielding him. He was merely "expressing general consensus".

"Are you implying that I do not have full control over my belongings, or that I lack full knowledge of their doings?"

Touché.

"Of course not, Kuran-sama."

And Ichijou backed down, yielding the game with grace.

Kaname gestured, and Zero backed away and resumed his place.

The conversation resumed its convivial pace, and laughter tinkled over expensive wine and delicacies.

"I'm quite fond of this pet of yours, Kuran-sama… would you lend him to me sometime?" the Souen lady again. She had been quite mesmerized by Zero's uniqueness.

The ex-human's heart thumped crazily in his chest.

"My lady, much as I would like to please you, I regret to say that … I require Kiryuu's service at all hours of day and night." Kaname turned her request away diplomatically.

Stupid, stupid, stupid Kuran! I belong to nobody!

Yet he began to understand, on a deeper level, what Kaname had wanted to tell by bringing him here.

You have no place amongst us. No place, no pride, no self ownership.

"Did you know," another lady said, "that the second Kiryuu twin was taken by Shizuka Hiou?"

There were a few chuckles from the vampires. "That suggests something similar in Kuran and Hiou sama's tastes, no?"

"And now even lady Souen has set her sights on the boy!"

"Really, Kuran-sama, you must demonstrate his abilities sometime…" Zero foamed inwardly.

Below the dais, a couple of noble's sons and daughters, rowdy and tempestuous youths, were getting high on each other's blood, avoiding blood bonding but having a good time all the same.

"Hey, ex-human! What are you doing with our betters? Get down off that dais, we require a waiter!" they called out to Zero against their sense and upbringing.

Zero ignored them. But when one of the nobles sent a sheet of ice sliding across the floor, his foot slipped and off he went, sliding down uncontrollably and crashing spectacularly into the nobles, bowling them over.

"Stupid ex-human! Watch yourself!" a boy cried, shoving Zero away. Zero stumbled against another noble, still trying to find his footing.

All eyes on the dais went to Kaname, ready to judge his every move. Would he lower himself by going to the level D's aid, and invite more gossip on his relationship with the "pet?"

"Filthy level D!" the enraged noble picked Zero up and threw him to one side, only the exhuman twisted to his feet like a cat and brought out the Bloody Rose. Several outcries of anger were heard, and Zero was running, the gun firing, and the mob of drunk nobles were after him.

Kaname knew just how severely the nobles would hurt Zero, given his ranking. But he was not about to go chasing after him. The pureblood called out mentally to the guards, and two of them materialized in front of him, on one knee and right fists over their hearts.

"Summon your men," Kaname ordered, "restrain them and bring them all back to me. Do not harm any of them."

They bowed their heads and vanished, in hot pursuit of the unruly gang.

The elites on the dais proceeded in their chatter as if nothing had happened, until eight guards materialized, dragging Zero and three noble vampires between them. Two of the nobles were looked like brothers, the third was a slightly younger boy.

They were bound by their ankles and wrists, behind their backs, and Zero was gagged. In the short time that they were away, Zero had been scratched and bitten repeatedly, and by the looks of it, beaten up as well.

The guards forced them to their knees in front of Kaname.

"What," Kaname quipped lightly, "is the meaning of this?"

There was no answer, and none met his dark, indolent gaze.

"Three noble sons, in the presence of your elders and superiors, brawling like common fools in a human tavern!"

His voice never rose above a derisive sneer, and yet the three vampires were shaking from head to toe.

"Who started it?"

None of them answered.

"Who started the fight?"

"I-I did!" The older brother's terror of disobedience was more than the terror of punishment. H cringed as Kaname walked right up to him. He was a beautiful brunette with slanted black eyes and shoulder length hair.

"You did this - " he pointed to Zero at one side, bruised and bleeding, "to my subject?"

"We were – I was – teaching him – " the older brother quailed at Kaname's sudden anger.

"You were teaching?"

The boy fell silent, in horror of his own words.

"Untie him," Kaname snapped, and a guard cut through the ropes on his ankles and wrist.

"Whatever you have done to the ex-human, do to yourself three times over," Kaname ordered.

The boy looked up in dismay, eyes wide in disbelief.

"No, on second thoughts," Kaname reconsidered. "Choose between your partners, and inflict the damage on one of them. Let your friends learn your lessons for you."

The vampire's fair face drained of all colour, leaving an ashen grey countenance.

"No," he pleaded softly, "no, please, I will bear it all myself."

"Choose," Kaname repeated, his voice hard.

There was no "or else", for the boy or anyone. Purebloods were obeyed, unconditionally.

All the vampires looked on eagerly; those uninvolved were enchanted by the ruthlessness of the young Kuran lord, who already knew what the boy's decision would be.

The boy turned around and faced them, one his best friend, the other his blood brother. The creed that governed all the existence of vampires echoed in his mind.

The word of a pureblood is law.

None may disobey.

"Forgive me, my brother," he whispered, turning to his younger sibling. "But I cannot risk the wrath of his family upon ours."

So saying, he closed his eyes and plunged one hand into his brother's side, tearing his flesh; the other tore at his hair. He continued in the mutilation, joining his brother's wailing with his own as he spilt the blood of the one he had loved and protected all his life.

Zero had never before realized just how powerful the purebloods really were.

The screaming of the two boys pierced the night air, sharpened by the sharp taint of blood, and yet he continued to injure his brother convulsively. The other nobles fidgeted like snakes in a brood. What delicious sport the Kuran lord provided them with! After all, these were only low-level nobles, unimportant and unimpressive.

Two bloody figures huddled on the floor, moaning and weeping silently. Kaname turned away in disgust.

"Give them something for their wounds, and let their families claim them," he said. The guards gave them a healing potion, and, the night's excitement ending, they resumed their socializing.

Left to one side with a healing drink working on his wounds, Zero listened on in disgust as the vampire lords and ladies discussed the gruesome scene with a disdainful enjoyment. The bloodshed had stimulated their sadistic, predatory sides. More than once Zero caught the sparkle of red eyed arousal behind the facades of these beautiful beings.

A guard dragged Zero behind Kaname's chair, his "rightful" place, and left him there, gagging him again and making sure his restraints were tight. With his ankles and wrists behind his back, Zero was forced to wait, on his knees, for Kaname to leave.

No parents came to claim their children who had so dishonoured their family by raising the anger of a pureblood. Their cruelty was shocking – brothers hurting one another for the sake of politics, children left to bleed and suffer because no clan wanted to be remembered as one who had wronged vampire royalty.

"Ah, Kuran-sama, you have livened up this night for us," cooed lady Souen.

"In truth, it was the work of my unruly ex-human. A pity that I had to make a scene," Kaname said almost regretfully.

"A most pleasurable scene, indeed!" There were a few giggles of assent. "They were vampires of no consequence. It is good to remind them of their place once in awhile."

Zero cried out in shock at their indifference. It was muffled through the gag, but drew the attention of the vampires.

"Speaking of which, I must remind someone of his place," Kaname said. Zero glared at the pureblood's gold flecked eyes, glimmering with pervasion. "I was willing to spend more time here, but it seems someone cannot wait to be taught a lesson." The women cackled in delight, the men exchanged rueful glances.

"My lords and ladies…" Kaname stood up and took his leave of each of them, the charming lord to the very end.

"Untie his ankles, then come with me and bring him along," he told a guard. Zero groaned gratefully into the gag when he was pulled to his feet, feeling the blood rushing down. But the guard shoved him roughly after Kaname.

Zero was bundled unceremoniously into the back of the car, then pushed out of it when they reached the academy.

I'll get him back for this. In private. One on one.

I intended it as a one shot, but the chapter was over 5000 words long...so I'll post it in three or four parts...review!! Anonymous reviews have been enabled.