Unexpectedly Close To The Edge

Set 3 years after Vampire Knight Guilty, however, certain enemies aren't as dead as they were thought to be.

~{}~ signifies a change in time or perspective

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, these awesome characters do not belong to me in any way. They belong to Matsuri Hino. I just stole them and put them to use for my own sick mind ;)

Summary: Yuki's death brings the two former enemies Zero and Kaname closer than they ever expected to be. As the two of them - both broken in their own way - struggle to pick up a life again, will they cope by putting each other together again?

Rated M: mature emotions, rape, violence, M/M lemon (seriously, rated M for good reason!)

AN: I am terribly sorry for leaving you all hanging with an unfinished story and not even putting it up as a hiatus. My life just got in the way and then I couldn't return to the necessary state of mind to continue writing this. But I'm back at it. If there's anyone out there, who still want to know how it ends - thank you for being so very, very patient. I'm still determined to finish this story. Feel free to let me know what you think. ^^ Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 19: An Ancient Story

Kaname struggled slightly with himself, his composure faltering ever so slightly as he made his way out of his office. He found the heat to be so stifling that even the cool handle of his office door brought slight relief to his fingers as they closed around it. But that didn't last long. Briefly, he worried that he might have already melted it. But a glance assured him that he had not totally lost control... yet.

None of his employees noticed a thing. The pureblood was certain of that. As he passed them, all of his employees felt dazed and had trouble concentrating, almost as though they had been hit by a tranquilizer dart. Even if they had seen him, their eyesight was impaired by sudden inexplicable blurriness. And with no one wanting to appear lazy in the eyes of their pureblood boss, they all kept their heads down, their typing fingers producing nothing but nonsense on their computer screens. None of them, of course, suspected the pureblood himself to be the reason for their sudden confusion. In their minds, they all attributed their ineptitude to not sleeping enough the night before.

The pureblood knew perfectly well that he could have exited the building without passing his employees, but with all the recent events it would have caused unnecessary rumors for him to leave unseen. No, as long as it was possible to have everything appear normal, he would keep up that facade.
It seemed such a simple task to walk through the headquarters of his own corporate building - but not right now. With all his might, Kaname was fighting a battle against himself - a battle he was about to lose. As he walked through the front door of the entrance hall, he barely managed not to clench his fist against the surge of emotions rolling over him. If he had, his fingernails would most certainly have drawn blood - and far too much attention.

The cool night air was a welcome distraction to the heat he was feeling. His fingers trembled as he tried to keep his composure together while his driver opened the door for him with a bow. He easily avoided the driver's gaze so the level C didn't notice his eyes glowing a deep red. Mentally, Kaname ordered him to drive just around the corner and then continue on to Kuran mansion, blurring his memory of the events so he wouldn't remember not actually taking the pureblood home. To anyone looking out from the building, to any employee who had met the pureblood on the way, nothing was out of the ordinary.

But for Kaname, things were very different. Kaname would not be driven - it was just too slow. He couldn't wait, it was impossible. The minute his driver left, he would race as fast as his feet could carry him. He wouldn't be going home, either, for that was not where his body and soul wished to be. Closing his eyes briefly, he wished his body wouldn't betray him as it did now. This inexcusable weakness.
He was trembling. Imperceptibly to anyone but himself - but trembling.
Although he made certain no one could see the state he was truly in, there was one person from whom he could not hide.

His mate would know, regardless of his appearance.

His mate.

The thought alone sent tremors through his body that he could not control. Whatever had happened to Zero during that encounter with his mentor, whatever Yagari had unleashed inside the hunter - its backlash had hit the pureblood with full force as well. Just... differently. Kaname hadn't expected such a thing to happen, he hadn't realized their connection was so strong. He hadn't realized Zero was so strong. What had been battle-hunger in the hunter coupled with just the slightest edge of vampiric seductiveness had had reverberated through their bond - only to have a completely different effect on Kaname once it unfolded its power.

Kaname slipped out of the car unnoticed after it turned the corner. He pressed his burning body against the ice-cold bricks of a dark alley wall as his limousine faded from hearing. His eyes nearly rolled back into his head with the wave of pleasure he was feeling. As silently as he could, he exhaled into the night - hoping his breath would be a whisper instead of a loud, hungry moan for his mate. He licked his lips, careful not to draw blood because his fangs were fully unsheathed and throbbing - desiring the taste of his mate. His erection was a stiff, hard rod, leaking freely into his slacks that were stretched way too tight across it. Mortar crumbled beneath his trembling fingers as his nails lengthened to claws and his dark wavy hair stuck to the moistened skin of his neck. The energy that had fueled Zero into allowing the vampire inside himself to come forward had poured into their bond and had pulled forth the deepest vampire instincts in Kaname.

He needed his mate.
Badly. And this time, he would not be receiving. This time, he needed to be sheathed inside the hunter. This time, he needed to thrust hard and deep. He needed to taste his mate's blood, he needed to feel his mate's body close tightly around his shaft, he needed to move inside that body and he needed to hear his mate beg for more. Vaguely, he recalled that he had wanted it to be as gentle as possible when he took Zero the first time. He faintly recalled the hunter's fear and tried to remind himself that him being so out of control was not going to improve the hunter's trust, but there was nothing he could do about that now. That same energy and will-power that had risen inside the hunter to step up to his heritage and true power had, inside Kaname, awoken the predator within the pureblood. And there was nothing that could stop him.

All his senses were alert, attune to his mate. His feet moved him toward the hunter without thinking. His body merged seamlessly with the shadows of the night. He could smell his faintest scent in the night air. Kaname's sensitive hearing picked up the softest rustle of the hunter's footfall, still miles away. His body simply followed their bond, its connection like a chain that drew him towards the hunter with a strength so hard it was both inescapable and unbearable.

~{}~

Zero knew.

He had already become aware of the rampant emotions from Kaname's side of the bond much earlier. He had felt the intense need build up already while he was still trying to untangle himself from his own instinct to sink his fangs into his mentor. Ever since then, he was being flooded with images from Kaname's thoughts as they all focused on him. And although he was dead tired from the training battle with Yagari - his body answered his mate's call without hesitation. His eyes stung with weariness and he could barely keep them open, but as Kaname's need threaded it's way through their bond, his breath quickened, his heart pounded and his body warmed.

He had nearly spent himself in that training battle. He had truly given it all he had and now he was feeling it. He was secretly glad that Yagari had been in even worse shape and couldn't notice what was wrong with him. Even so, every step was a burden to Zero and he moved achingly slow, but a certain other part of his body was pulsing and twitching with excitement as the images of Kaname sliding across his skin slipped into his mind. All his senses blurred, leaving him dangerously unable to be alert to his environment. Instead, images of Kaname penetrating him raced through his mind and the almost ferocious need that Kaname was feeling bombarded the hunter. He should have felt repulsed by it. Should have been at least annoyed at the uncontrolled neediness that Kaname was sending his way. But he was both too tired to care and too tired to fight it.

Then, he felt the constant ache in his chest rapidly disintegrate. Kaname was apparently racing toward him.

Surrounded by the trees of a small park in the silence of the early morning hour, they met. Zero, worn out by his training, and in desperate need of both a shower and a good rest. Kaname, aching and burning with the deep sexual need to claim his mate.

There was a moment of silence as they stared at each other, emotions passing between them wordlessly through their bond. Zero was too tired to control his and Kaname too fevered to reign his in. Only fractions of a second passed. Then Kaname dashed toward the hunter, seized him up and carried him to Kuran mansion with the speed of a hurricane all the way up the stairs and into his bedroom. To Zero it happened so fast, he could see nothing but a blur and hear nothing but the roaring wind in his ears.

It was barely half a minute later that Kaname pressed the hunter hard against the wall, holding him up with ease and effectively pinning him against the hard stone. Drunken with desire he leaned in, finally taking in the scent and touch of the hunter's body.

"Zero..." his voice rasped in a hoarse whisper, his heavy breathing loud in the hunter's ears. "I need you... Now."

Like electric flames the pureblood's touch seemed to revive small parts of his body, while the burning heat between them made Zero's legs tremble. "I'm too tired, Kaname." he murmured, his head swimming deliriously with equal parts of exhaustion and exhilaration.

Kaname apparently had no patience. "Feed." the pureblood ordered, pressing the skin of his throat against the hunter's lips. Zero was delirious with fatigue and didn't question it, but nodded and sunk his teeth into the pureblood's soft skin. His mind had no room left for questions. It was filled with pureblood's scent, Kaname's need and the growing heat between them. If it weren't for the pureblood pinning him to the wall, Zero's knees would have buckled by now. As it was, he was singly focused on the pure and raw rush of energy he was getting when he drank and how good it was feeling. Had he been able to think, he might have remembered that the pureblood had the ability to induce pleasure through his blood and that he hadn't taken very positive to that the last time Kaname had done it.

Kaname now did precisely that, remembering somewhere in the back of his mind that it hadn't gone over too well with the hunter. But he couldn't help himself and found no other solution to his predicament. So, murmuring a soft explanation into the hunter's silver hair, he filled Zero with arousal.

"I can't promise I will be gentle... but I don't want to hurt you, Zero. Please, believe me."

Zero was already drawing blood in large quantities, barely aware that Kaname was talking to him. He vaguely realized that Kaname's blood was laced with something potent, but all was forgotten when the full intensity hit him like a narcotic. His strength gave way and he sagged against the pureblood as he drank. Kaname, in turn, became even more aroused when he heard the hunter groaning with pleasure against his throat and felt the stiffening member underneath the moist slacks.

~{}~

Kaname's patience was at an end. He tore away from the hunter's fangs, ignoring the pain of his bloody throat. Pinning the hunter against the wall again harder, he claimed Zero's mouth frantically, fangs catching against the soft skin and tearing it, earning a sharp moan from the hunter. Almost unconsciously, his hands made quick work of the hunter's clothing, not bothering to leave the shirt in a wearable condition. There was nothing he could do against his need, no way he could stop himself even if he had wanted to. His fingers just moved to touch as much of the hunter's skin as possible as he nearly threw him down on his bed. Effortlessly, he straddled the hunter who lay on his back, but he had no patience to take in the view of his naked mate so presentable in front of him. Still, he forced himself to struggle against his overbearing need to just fuck his mate senseless. Instead, he tried to explore sensually, and it wasn't such a difficult thing to do as his lips seemed automatically attracted to the hunter's pale, soft skin and very eagerly explored every nook and cranny to get a taste.

Vaguely, Kaname noticed how Zero fingers sought his own skin in similar fashion, almost overloading the pureblood's feeble control. Kaname felt overwhelmed and could barely keep himself from just biting and thrusting into the hunter. He just couldn't allow Zero to explore his body. It was just too much stimulation. To silence the hunter's actions, he grasped Zero's erection tightly and pumped it a few times, earning a few harsh moans from the hunter. Though it distracted the hunter, the sight of Zero squirming and moaning did not help his own control. His mind hazy with need as it was, Kaname wasn't willing to hurt Zero if he could help it. Though he could barely hold himself back, he produced some lube from one of the drawers and wasted no time applying it generously across the hunter's entrance.

Predictably, tendrils of suppressed fear wove through their bond and it stung Kaname hard deep down inside. Zero's trauma hadn't lessened just because Kaname was drowning him in pleasure. Quite the contrary, Kaname sensed it through their bond that them both being so out of control might seriously damage the hunter even more. Pain was not an option. From some unknown source of will-power, he managed to allow the hunter a few more moments. He kept his motions as gentle as he could and kissed the hunter's twitching cock, softly nipping on the velvety flesh, while his fingers worked the hunter's entrance. Intuitively, he found the right balance between distracting from the fear but not drowning him in uncontrolled pleasure. Kaname continued until Zero was trembling more with anticipation rather than fear, though his anxiety persisted in a subdued fashion. When the hunter was positively covered with lube inside and out, Kaname couldn't bear to wait any longer. Locking eyes with the still slightly anxious hunter, he positioned his rock-hard flesh against the trembling entrance.

"Zero, I promise, no pain. No pain." Kaname whispered.

Zero nodded once, subtly, almost imperceptibly, but he nodded. It was all the affirmation Kaname was going to get.

He needed this so badly. He had wanted to keep eye-contact to give Zero some form of reassurance, but it was impossible. The second he pushed himself into the hunter, he was lost. Zero's fear tore through him like a hurricane, but it merged and twisted with the unimaginable pleasure Kaname was feeling at the tightness of the hunter's passage. The feeling was absolutely indescribable. He threw his head back and moaned in ecstasy, his fangs unsheathed and his eyes burning red.

~{}~

Zero found that despite his hazed and lust-filled state, despite the very thorough ministrations Kaname was employing to prepare him, his fear persisted. And though, logically, there was nothing to fear he just couldn't quite overcome it. Feeling like a failure on that account didn't exactly help either. Once it became apparent that the moment of penetration was near, he couldn't suppress the lingering terror and it tore through him unchecked. But he gave his consent anyway.

He just hoped it wouldn't hurt so bad.

And he was right. Kaname's pleasure simply overrode it all - the fear, the shame, the guilt. Sharing all feelings through their bond, Kaname's pleasure at the tightness of Zero's passage just burned through all his anxiety. His heart had clenched, icy shudders had been nagging through his spine and he was certain his hands were ice cold. But the second Kaname pushed himself in, the second that pleasure hit their bond, Zero could feel how good it felt to Kaname, could feel the overwhelming ecstasy at their coupling and he could see the expression of absolute bliss and pleasure on the pureblood's face. He concentrated on that, ignoring his fear, and let himself be swept away without hesitation.

It was a much welcomed feeling. Zero wanted this. To give himself. Perhaps not quite on these terms of wild desire and abandon, but nonetheless, he wanted to make this work. Kaname had given himself to him - it was only fair that it should work the other way around as well. And though the pureblood's need was great, it was still fairly gentle. Kaname had managed to restrain himself for a few experimental gentle motions. But control was slowly evading him as he began to thrust into Zero in earnest. Zero didn't mind. He was deeply entangled with the pureblood in their bond. He was swept up in the movements, deliciously helpless against the sensations, unable to do anything but feel the pleasure of every thrust of Kaname's swollen member inside himself. The pureblood's aim was dead on, hitting Zero's pleasure center with every forward motion and it was a simple matter for the hunter to fall into Kaname's rhythm.

~{}~

Kaname made love to Zero for what seemed like hours. He had spent himself into the hunter over and over. His voice would no longer form words, his mind couldn't even form a thought, his body operated on nothing but instinct. He positioned the hunter whichever way pleased him and then just thrust inside. He existed only to make love. To relieve himself of the ache in his chest, in his body and in his soul. His mind had wrapped itself around the hunter doing everything it could to stimulate. He was one with the hunter in a way he had never hoped to be. Zero had let him in, had let the pureblood drown him in pleasure and they shared this passion. Currently, he was pressing the hunter face down into the sheets, with his buttocks straining apart on the pureblood's command. Kaname loved the view. He knew intimately how to thrust to make the hunter come, how to thrust to make the hunter squirm with pleasure without coming, and how far he could tease before he came. There was no pain between them, only stimulation, heat, sweat and groaning.

The pureblood switched their positions again, wanting to see Zero's face. He turned the hunter onto his back, pinning his arms above his head. He thrust in again, at a new angle this time and used his body weight to press the hunter's thighs apart as wide as they would go, just to see Zero's cock before it would soon spill its load across the hunter's muscular stomach. Not that it would have changed the view. Neither of them had stopped being hard as a rock since they had started this journey of pleasure and they were both already covered in cum from knee to naval. With every thrust, the evidence of their passion was coating the inside of their thighs in a thick sticky and moist layer as he pressed deeper into the hunter's passage.

He felt like he had already come until he physically couldn't come anymore. And yet, his need refused to pass. It was more bearable now, but still far too intense to return to anything other than lovemaking. And though Kaname had lost all sense of time, Zero's body had not. His rear was now quite raw and tore every now and then, while the rest of the hunter's body desperately needed rest - but Kaname could not stop. The pureblood's hips thrust involuntarily, his mind in a crazed state of need so that the only reaction he had to his mate's discomfort was to flood both their systems with even more endorphin. Zero's groan only spurred him on to thrust faster and harder.
More.

Even more.

Even deeper.

Even harder.

Even faster.

It wasn't enough. He needed more.

He needed true release.

~{}~

Zero was entirely out of it, his mind wandering in the delirium of pleasure. It should have been frightening, this loss of control, the way he was so at Kaname's mercy while the pureblood was so entangled in his need. Zero should have been terrified at the way Kaname was pounding into him, the force of his need harsh and demanding while he himself was so helplessly trapped both physically and mentally.

But it wasn't.

Their bond and Kaname's power ensured that he felt barely any pain at all. Though he smelled his own blood and instinctively knew what body part must have been torn, he couldn't really feel it physically. But that wasn't the only reason. Zero was emotionally entangled with the pureblood and he could feel Kaname's need becoming ever more desperate with every time he came. Zero sensed a huge emotional emptiness inside the pureblood, a deep-seated sense of missing something, a hollowness that would not retreat no matter how often Kaname tried to find release in their love-making. And while both their bodies were close to their physical limits, the desperation inside the pureblood welled up unchecked, gnawing and pulsing, forcing Kaname to counter it by pressing on deeper, by thrusting in harder and groaning even louder. Zero had never expected the pureblood to be so... vulnerable.

Being so intertwined with Kaname through their bond, the insatiability of that ache was gnawing at Zero as well. Kaname harbored inside himself a desperation that bordered onto madness and though it meant he was currently incapable of being gentle, Zero knew the pureblood meant no harm - as was evident by the way he was doing everything he could to induce pleasure and block out the pain. The hunter wanted to make it go away. For Kaname's sake - and also for his own - he wanted to soothe that horrible need that just would not go away.

But the hunter - though himself currently entirely incapable of rational thought - somehow intuitively grasped the situation. With a sudden insight he couldn't pinpoint, he knew what the problem was: His mate needed something else. And though the pureblood seemed to feel that that meant more of what they were currently doing, Zero's intuition had seen beyond that flawed pureblood perception. Where his insight came from, Zero didn't know - but he suddenly knew what it was that Kaname truly needed. And he understood instantly that Kaname would never realize it himself. Somewhere between a thrust and a groan, somehow between the bliss of their pleasure and the arousing view of their coupling, between Kaname's burning eyes and the motions of their moist bodies, Zero managed to find his voice and form words.

It was hoarse and every bit as raw as his backside, but from some unknown depth of strength - perhaps because he intuitively knew it needed to be - his voice was authoritative and powerful. Just two words.

"Kaname. Enough." The finality of those words rang through the room and echoed in both of their minds with a sudden force.

The effect was instant. Kaname's frantic movements halted mid-thrust in surprise, panting and sweating. His eyes widened, staring at Zero in bewilderment as his psyche readjusted itself to the delicious prospect his ears and mind had clearly heard. Something had shifted. Before he realized consciously what had happened, he found all his senses reeling, spinning and then readjusting, hanging at the hunter's lips, anxiously awaiting what his mate would say next.

Zero slid away from underneath the pureblood.
"This won't do." he said firmly, his gaze never leaving Kaname. The purblood swallowed and licked his lips, finding himself slightly nervous but refreshingly excited. He couldn't answer, because his mind had no words, but there was something very captivating about the hunter, who suddenly held his gaze very intently, the lilac eyes not letting him go.
Zero ran his fingers through the pureblood's hair. Then he grasped the hair strands tightly and pulled Kaname's head to his own erection all the while fixing Kaname with a piercing gaze. "You've got it all backwards." Kaname's eyes remained locked to Zero's as the hunter nodded once, indicating the pureblood to get started. "What you need... is me..." Kaname trembled softly.
"..inside of you." Zero finished with a stern, yet husky voice. A breathless groan escaped the pureblood involuntarily and Zero could feel that he was right.

"Nothing else will truly satisfy you, Kaname."

Zero had no idea where this knowledge came from. But when those words left his mouth, he could see that it was true. The pureblood's body answered wordlessly, shuddering against the hunter, erection weeping and pulse racing. A soft wave of confusion was mixed in with the emotion of yearning and neediness and it threaded its way to the hunter through their bond. Zero was certain of his words. He gave the pureblood a stern look and wordlessly motioned for him to begin. Kaname nodded softly and none of them missed how his heart skipped a beat at how their lovemaking had suddenly turned out. Licking his lips almost eagerly, he lowered his mouth between Zero's legs, looking up half needy and half submissive. This time, they both noticed how it was Zero's turn to have his heart skip a beat.

By all means, he should have been way too tired to be enjoying this any longer. But that look kindled something inside the hunter that had not been there before. Even as he closed his eyes in pleasure, feeling the pureblood's lips close around his shaft, Zero saw that gaze burn through his mind. Kaname began sucking off the hunter dutifully, moistening what he knew might release him from the intense need that he couldn't seem to relieve himself.
And though Zero had come multiply times already that night, the knowledge that Kaname was needy for him, was submitting to his will was such a turn-on that it wasn't too long before Zero had to pull free from Kaname's mouth in time to be able to last long enough to satisfy his mate.

Experimenting with how far he could take this game, Zero pressed Kaname's face gently, but firmly, into the sheets and let his fingers trail along the pureblood's spine while he languidly moved around his mate until he reached Kaname's exposed rear. He grasped the slender hips and pulled them toward himself in a sudden motion.

"Just like this. Face down. Ass up. And spread your legs." he ordered.

Kaname whimpered with need and complied instantly. His cock was dripping already. Zero found himself treated to a very inviting view. He was tempted to let the pureblood squirm a bit as he let his hands roam Kaname's backside, but decided then that Kaname had been needy for long enough now. Without warning he plunged his thick, dripping length into the pureblood's tight, unprepared entrance.

~{}~

Kaname bucked wildly and gasped harshly at the sensations. It was raw, it was painful, it was hard and it was full.

But it was so good. It felt so right. Nothing he had previously tried had felt like this. No angle he had thrust into Zero, no rhythm he had set, and no amount of friction around his shaft that he had achieved had satisfied him quite like this. No longer was there any doubt who belonged to whom anymore. He was entirely at Zero's mercy. When Zero began thrusting into him, soft tears of relief rolled from his eyes as the hunter's cock filled him and finally, finally satisfied him more and more with every thrust. The hollow feeling receded, the desperate emptiness faded into absolute pleasure with an undertone of something neither of the two wanted to dwell on.

Kaname sobbed in both delightful pleasure and distressed anguish that this was what he had needed all along. The pleasure won out, of course, and he let Zero set their pace, relishing how his body sang with their rhythm, too weak with pleasure to hold back. He was helpless against it, all pride forgotten as his body bucked like a plaything in the hunter's hands being rocked back and forth - the hunter's thick, satisfyingly unyielding shaft squeezing itself mercilessly between his tight cheeks all the way through his rear into his core.

Over and over again.

The build-up was gigantic. Kaname came suddenly and violently, almost painfully after no more than a few minutes from nothing but Zero's cock inside him. He came hard, his erection nearly exploding with cum all over the sheets as he collapsed into the blankets and screamed hoarsely, entirely lost in the sensations and emotions.
It was all too much for him. When Zero came as well, Kaname had already blacked out.

He regained consciousness a few seconds later and groaned weekly. His cock was still spilling seed everywhere as Zero's twitching flesh massaged his insides. Incapable of thought, he simply moaned over and over again until Zero pulled out, rolled onto his back and pulled the pureblood close.

~{}~

For a long time they lay there in silence, catching their breath. Zero absentmindedly stroked Kaname's moist hair, cradling the still softly shuddering pureblood in his arms. Kaname felt hideously vulnerable and emotionally absolutely naked. With Zero now knowing how deeply the pureblood depended on him, how would he react? He himself was quite aware of how far this imbalance in their relationship could go. Would Zero think less of him now? Would the hunter abuse his power over the pureblood? There was only one way to find out and though Kaname barely dared to ask, he needed to know.

"How did you know?" Kaname finally asked.

"I donno." Zero answered truthfully.

"Do you know what this means?" Kaname asked him.

"Not really." Zero answered.

"I'm yours, Zero." Kaname said solemnly.

There was a long silence.

"I thought you said our bond made us equally dependent on each other..." Zero questioned wearily.

"I was wrong." Kaname whispered.

"What does that mean, Kaname?" Zero asked, and the pureblood sensed that the hunter somehow dreaded the answer.

Kaname was silent for a while. Zero wasn't sure he really wanted to know anymore.

"It means that I depend on you more strongly than you depend on me, Zero." Kanname began, phrasing it in a way that he hoped wasn't too disturbing.

"It means exactly what you said - that nothing else will satisfy me... except you. Inside of me." a shudder traveled through Kaname as he spoke - a shudder fed in equal parts by distress and excitement. He struggled to reign in the emotion.

"It means that you are the only one between me and the darkness... " Kaname finished.

Zero was silent for a while, trying to make sense of what he had just heard. He was really too tired for this. But, of course, he couldn't very well leave the pureblood out in the rain with this confusion ball of emotions. It's just that the hunter dreaded their closeness. Dreaded the emotional ties he was beginning to feel. Dreaded the true intimacy that they had somehow managed to dance around until now.

He didn't want to say it.

But in a way, it was futile. And he knew it.

"Perhaps you had better tell me about that darkness, then." he concluded, almost in defeat of something he didn't want to name.

Kaname was silent for a while - absolutely motionless, in fact. Long seconds passed by, but they both knew that Zero had nothing to add. Then, Kaname sighed almost imperceptibly.

"Yes." he agreed quietly, almost in defeat.

~{}~

Aido had found the shop he had been looking for. The question now was how to get the answers Kaname-sama had sent him to look for. Diplomacy was not his forte and he knew that. But Kaname-sama was counting on him. He couldn't fail the pureblood. He shuddered as he remembered how Kaname had entered his mind and found out his most private thoughts. Nervously, he gripped the gun he had brought. Then he thought the better of it and shook his head to clear away his embarrassing thoughts. Time to focus. It was an hour before dawn, and there was no one out and about that he could see. The street appeared deserted. But the light was on in the shop. Aido grimaced in the direction of the shop and pocketed his weapon. Then, he entered.

"Good evening, how may I help you?" the shopkeeper said from behind his desk.

"Good evening. I have a question concerning your work on a specific artifact." Aido began, not wanting to waste a lot of time on pleasantries. The vampire behind the counter narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"The making of blood gems..." Aido began.

"... is a family secret." the man interjected defensively.

"Of course. But does it involve ashes?" Aido pressed on, ignoring the tension in the air.

"I do not know what artifact in particular you are referring to, but the blood gems I make are very pure. Ashes would compromise everything about the gem," the master gem maker replied testily.

"Then your work was compromised." Aido concluded.

"I fail to see how that is possible. I personally do all work myself," the master gem maker nearly growled. It was Aido's luck that the gem maker was a lower class noble than himself, otherwise he wouldn't even have received a single answer to his musings.

"Does the process take long enough to be stolen in between?" Aido tried again, becoming aware of the animosity in the gem maker's gaze, glaring at him from behind the counter.

"I don't like what you are suggesting."

Aido narrowed his ice blue eyes, his patience at an end. "I am not interested in your trade secret. I want to know if your work was compromised to kill Yuuki Kuran-sama or if it was your own fault. I was sent here by Kaname Kuran-sama personally to investigate. If you have anything useful to say for yourself, then you'd better tell me now."

The man behind the counter swallowed, visibly upset and looking guilty.

"Yuuki Kuran-sama... I apologize. I... I... uhm. Please come and have a seat, mister...?"

"Aido. And thank you, I'll stay right here until I get an answer, if you don't mind."

"Yes, yes, of course." the gem maker quickly acknowledged very nervously. "Look... um..." he began. Aido nodded impatiently for him to continue.

"You see, the gems requested by Kuran-sama for the earrings were very special ones. He was here, personally, to ensure his blood went into them and no where else, if you know what I mean."

Aido nodded. "Go on."

The gem maker looked away. "I ... I was very nervous. A pureblood in my shop, a Kuran no less... right there... watching my moves... I made a mistake. The pressure was wrong and I nearly broke them."

His gaze lowered to the counter. "I had to melt them again and let them crystallize all over again once he left. That took longer than usual. But when I came back the next evening, they had cooled and looked perfect. They would never have left the shop had they been less than perfect."

"So it is possible, that someone might have come in and altered something about them?" Aido prodded.

The gem maker shuffled uncomfortably. "Yes, I suppose. But who would...?"

"I analysed the gems." Aido cut him off. "They have... unusual properties."

"What kind of properties...?" the man asked suspiciously. "As I said, Kuran-sama requested unusual gems..."

Aido glared at the shop keeper. "They instill an intense longing in whoever touches them... and it's not a longing for either Kuran-sama." he said flatly. "Moreover, they contain ashes of some sorts and someone else's blood."

The man blanched behind the counter. "Thats... that's not possible..."

Aido furrowed his brow.

"It can't be..." the shop keeper whispered.

"Why not?" Aido interjected rather impatiently. The shop keeper swallowed and then haltingly began an explanation. "The gems that my family specialized in... have certain properties... " he trailed off.

Aido nodded impatiently for him to continue. The man sighed. "If you interlace a gem with blood then you basically interlace it with a part of that person. A part of their life force if you will. It is usually done to provide love or protection to someone that person cares for, even after death. Blood, the way my family has incorporated it into gems for hundreds of years - particularly Vampire blood, can retain its potency even after the blood donor dies..."

Aido thought of his reaction to the gem and his mind wandered to the silver haired hunter-turned-vampire. "Other than love or protection, what kind of potency does Vampire blood have in the gem - if blood was donated unintentionally, for example?"

The shopkeeper looked slightly uncomfortable. "...that generally doesn't happen... but like any type of blood, it arouses strong blood lust... "

Aido began pacing deep in thought, while the shop keeper eyed him warily. "because of certain chemical attributes and refining procedures it may also cause someone touching it to experience intense sexual desire for the blood donor..."

Aido paused his pacing and looked at him sharply. The shop keeper shrank back.

"The technique my family uses with these gems is meant to intensify the original intent of the blood donor - if it is blood that was donated. But there is another thing that retains - or rather gains - its potency through this type of gem as well..."

Aido fixed his gaze impatiently, then it dawned on him.

"Vampire ash."

The shopkeeper nodded unhappily.

"So one Vampire's ash and another Vampire's blood covered under a protective spell..."

"... has the power of bringing back the vampire whose ashed it holds..." the gem maker finished in a whisper.

~{}~

Rido looked at the small piece of jewelry in his hand and turned it over for a better view. A beautiful piece of workmanship, he concluded. So perfect that a small part of him had been kept alive for him so long. What a wonderful shred of irony, that it was his nephew's protection spell that had hidden and protected him all this time. And Yuuki's life force that had drained into him to feed his strength. He almost felt like laughing and his lips spread into a leering grin.

But he reigned himself in. True, he could leave a part of himself inside these pieces of jewelry, but that would leave him vulnerable. Particularly, since Kaname would probably have found out by now what was wrong with them. No, it was best to secure the last part of his power that was still trapped inside the jewels and then bury the secrets of their making forever with their creator after he secured that knowledge.

He would need to get hold of the gem maker.

"Ojima." he ordered.

~{}~

Aido was just about to leave the gem maker's shop, when he got the distinct feeling that he shouldn't leave the vampire alone. He was at the door, his hand ready to open it when he turned. "You should come with me. What you have just told me puts you in danger."

The gem maker looked up at him in surprise. He apparently hadn't expected empathy of his interrogator.

"Do you know whose ashes your gem kept alive?" Aido asked him. The shopkeeper shook his head.

"Rido Kuran."

The man blanched.

"My suggestion is to try your luck with Kaname Kuran instead." Aido said calmly. The shop keeper nodded, having made up his mind rather quickly.

"Secure your knowledge, he will want to destroy it all."

The shopkeeper disappeared under the counter and secured a small booklet. Then he followed Aido out of the shop.

~{}~

"Well?" Zero asked.

It was late afternoon and they had slept for a few hours. But neither of them truly felt rested. Kaname was dreading the conversation, but figured he had to get it out of the way sometime - might as well be now. He was feeling emotionally drained and unstable, but tried not to show it. It didn't help that they were both naked, caked with the remnants of their recent activities and engulfed in the scent of sex. He could feel Zero's body aching from their love making, bruises across his skin speaking volumes of Kaname's inadequacy for being in control of himself. The hunter would need blood - and a lot more rest - to be be somewhat restored again.

Kaname's gaze lingered on the smears of blood between the hunter's thighs and he felt all kinds of guilty for being the cause of it. But then there was this other part inside him, the part that was turned on by that sight. Kaname tried to steer his thoughts away. But it was an unpleasant story he would have to remember now and his body was aching to be fucked again. There was no other way to put it. Mentally, he couldn't yet reconcile this neediness inside himself with him being an independent pureblood, always in control of situations, in control of himself and in control of other people. But emotionally, everything inside him was screaming at him to give himself to the hunter again. To have his mate dominate him, stretch his opening to accommodate that thick, long, hard satisfying cock and just let Zero fuck the living daylights out of him until it let him forget that horrible dark past of his and nothing remained but the here and now. His gaze lingered on the hunter's now flaccid cock and he fought himself desperately not to press his needy body against it, to coax it back into the state of arousal that would satisfy him once more, making him forget his inadequacy.

Finally, winning out against his inner struggles, Kaname sighed softly and resigned himself. Turning onto his back, to collect his thoughts without being distracted by his gorgeous mate, he closed his eyes and began.

"Unfortunately, this will be a gruesome tale. Zero... I am certain it will not endear me to you..."

The hunter remained silent. Waiting. Kaname sighed softly, almost inaudibly.

"You know, Zero. This body I walk around in... it is borrowed, or rather, stolen. The boy named Kaname, named after me, his ancestor, wandered into the cave where I had slept for so long. I am certain he didn't stumble upon me as an accident, but be that as it may, when that young pureblood entered, it woke me. Not only did I take his life, but I took over his body as well. I believe it was Rido's doing, hoping he could somehow trap me in the body and mind of a child to acquire my strength."

"But my former self had been asleep for such a long time that I barely remembered anything of who I was. There was nothing there to show that I really was who he thought I was and so he let it be. As long as I didn't show my full strength, he could not take it for himself. And so I kept it asleep. I really grew up again, in this day and age - forgetting most of the things that passed millennia before. Every now and then, a sight, a story, a sound or something might trigger a memory, but for the most part, I nearly grew up as Kaname Kuran - a pureblood offspring of my own lineage."

"Yuri and Haruka Kuran were not fooled, of course. They could tell I wasn't their son, or at least, not entirely their son. They knew someone or something had taken over the body of their beloved child from time to time. And after some research I supposed they discovered who I truly was. Yet, instead of shunning me, they treated me as their son. But Yuuki..." Kaname paused, the sting of that memory unexpectedly painful, still.

"Yuuki..., she was entirely innocent. I felt loved for the first time, ever, Zero. Her naive affection was something I had truly never gotten to know before. The way she would always..." Kaname broke off his sentence, resisting the temptation to just walk down memory road where everything was sweet. He steeled himself and continued.

"At any point in time I could have searched my memories, delved into my former self. I could have resented the lives that Haruka and Yuri had chosen, their pacifist ways and what they stood for. But I didn't. As an adolescent, I could have broken free, could have announced to the world who I was and return to my former status. But I had grown to love them as well. Through the eyes of a child I was, for the first time, able to understand what it was like to care and be cared for. And I didn't want to give that up."

"Everything was fine until that day when Rido came to Kuran mansion and killed Haruka Kuran, forcing Yuri Kuran to make the choice to summon all her powers and turn her daughter into a human. That day, I became the sole caretaker to Yuki. Knowing what a blessing oblivion could be, I didn't wish to wake her to her pureblood heritage. That is the real reason why I built that school. She showed me glimpses of how it was to be human and her good nature didn't diminish - even long after I turned her back into what she was born to be. It was very... precious to me. The others, the young nobles, were not like that. But they, too, were able to learn a certain amount of goodness, even if other vampires - particularly the older ones - could never feel that way. The experiment with them attending a school with humans was a good start. But of course, I needed a way to keep Yuuki safe. After all, I knew Rido was a danger that wouldn't just go away..."

Zero nodded. Kaname continued.

"But with the murder Rido committed... I became different. From that day on, I changed. They weren't distant memories anymore. They came back. I remembered more and more. Though I blocked them out, they became more and more persistent. Certainly, that must have been the reason for Rido to commit that murder on the Kuran family - to draw me out. To wake the ancestor. And I truly began to loathe myself because of it - being the reason that Haruka and Yuri had died. And the more I remembered, the more I began to loathe the past and who I had obviously been. To this day, I try not to dwell on the darkest events, so it is more like a dream to me. But if I choose to, I can remember early days of history. Simply put, I was there, Zero. I was a part of it. And most of the time, not in a good way..."

Zero heard the deep regret pouring from the pureblood's voice. There was disgust in his voice, as he continued.

"I was part of the near-extinction of the human race, when purebloods herded the last remaining humans like cattle to breed them and defended them against other purebloods. I was there when the tribes of humans spread across the world and each of the pureblood families chose to follow them to a different continent. I was there when pyramids were built and empires of Aztecs, of Persians, of Greeks and Romans all rose and fell. I am one of the seven ancestors of vampires, Zero. I have lived a very very long life. And I have committed horrifying crimes on a scale I dare not recall. Ever. But the fact remains that I am an ancestor, THE ancestor, the oldest of them all. No matter how distant, how pure or how diluted, all vampires are in some way related to me and if I really chose to do so, I could use that power to command them and they would all have to bow to me. That is the power Rido dreams of."

"Then why don't you? Command them all, I mean. Just tell Rido to go to hell. Tell them all to stop killing humans." Zero suggested.

Kaname smiled ruefully.

"It's not quite that easy. As I said, as long as that power sleeps, I cannot use it and Rido cannot take it. But if the ancestor woke, if that part of me no longer lay dormant, I would become a monster. I would revert back to who I was. Only then would I able to command them. And you can never command them all at once. I would have to be crowned emperor and establish my rule among the purebloods, build a society that follows my rules. But for all that, I would have to become that Ancestor again. And in doing so I would entirely lose the purpose that I set out with. It is an exhilarating rush of power, such as you cannot imagine, Zero. To know and to feel that you are so powerful that no one and nothing can stop you. It is so easy to give in to that..." Kaname ended with a whisper.

"I don't want to, Zero." he said seriously. "I would become a monster. And I would rather die than become something that I know you and Yuuki would never wish to have walking the face of this earth again. I don't want to lose myself to that power, Zero. I was born in this age and for the first time I understand things I would have scoffed at as my former self. I don't want to destroy that. Perhaps it was wrong of me to think I could regain some form of innocence..."

Kaname sighed softly.

"You know, in that former life, I was there, in those early days, when She created the hunters. She was the only pureblood I ever loved. In a way. Love, during those times, was very different. But I cared for her fate - and that was more than I can say for anyone for many eons thereafter. She was different. She was the one who sacrificed herself to create the hunters. You must be the direct descendant of the first hunter ever created - imprinted with her likeness. Her hair was just as silver, her eyes were the same lilac. And she had that obstinate stubbornness all Kiryus obviously fully inherited. She would not stand by as humans were slaughtered. Women do somehow understand the concept of life differently. But she was special. And to her, even human life was precious - a notion unheard of in those early days. So she sacrificed herself, turning her blood into hunter weapons. That is the story of the hunters and the story of hunter weapons. It was she - a pureblood vampire - who made the first hunter weapon, the Artemis. There is a reason I should not touch it and so I gave it to you for safekeeping."

Kaname lapsed into silence.

Zero lay next to the pureblood, seeing the story in his mind almost like a movie as Kaname told it. Then, as he paused, the images faded.

"And if you touched it?" Zero asked.

Kaname snorted softly.

"I could wield it. And I could bring down all hunters along with the Vampires. I could end that part of history and begin again. But what would I become then, if not darkness itself?"

There was a silence between them.

"You were right, Zero. You loathe purebloods and you are right to do so. But we are not as bad as you think we are. We are even worse. And I have been the worst of them all. I am a monster, Zero. A truly horrible monster. But I don't want to be... That is where you come in, Zero. You know how to struggle and not give in. You have refused darkness every single time it came knocking at your door. You are the one who can keep me from giving in to that darkness. Be my light, Zero. You have to be my light. No matter how dark it gets. I promise to follow you - and you know now that I will... but you have to be my light..."

~{}~

Kaname had lain on his back as he told his story, not looking at the hunter. And Zero had lain next to him without touching him, eyes closed, listening. He hadn't wanted to be distracted by Kaname's gorgeous body. But the pureblood's soft pleading to be guided struck something inside the hunter that he couldn't ignore. He turned on his side, leaning on his elbow and ghosted his fingers across Kaname's chest. He wasn't certain if it was to comfort Kaname, if it was to comfort himself, if it was his attraction to that velvety skin or if it was a vortex of all of those things. In any case, his fingers explored Kaname's body. And the pureblood reacted immediately. It was so easy to touch the pureblood, his body was so responsive, his skin so sensitive - any motion Zero made against the pale white skin triggered shudders and gasps from him.

It was in their bond, in the air and in their heartbeats. Even Zero, who always reminded himself how terrible the power of this pureblood vampire was, couldn't ignore the soft emotions between them. The simple plea for guidance was all Kaname had dared to voice, but there was so much more left unsaid. Kaname's eyes were closed now as Zero's fingers trailed gently across his body and Zero was happy he didn't have to stare into the abyss no doubt waiting behind those eye lids. So he was left to explore the velvety skin. Soft gasps escaped between the purblood's swollen lips and his cheeks blushed with a faint pink as his member twitched.

Zero leaned in to kiss those lips, unable to deny himself their taste any longer. It was then that Kaname looked up at him and their gazes connected. There was a devotion there that scared the hunter, an intimacy that went beyond just forming a bond and becoming lovers, something that sliced him soul-deep. Zero couldn't shake the haunting sense of Kaname willing to surrender absolutely everything to him and he was certain that to give into that plea meant plunging them both into madness. Zero shut his eyes and kissed the pureblood deeply, letting his tongue lead Kaname's in a dance for two. He couldn't deal with that much sacrifice. He couldn't accept that much. He would not accept that responsibility over someone else's life even if it was being served to him on a silver platter. He simply couldn't accept that and he couldn't match that offer. But he could offer the next best thing.

He could give Kaname the physical reassurance that apparently his body, heart, mind and soul craved. And that was something he was very willing to offer.

Zero took the lead in their lovemaking and slid his leg between the pureblood's. Kaname's entire body soaked up every intimate caress, writhing and gasping as Zero's hands lovingly circled his private parts. Zero was hard in seconds and he didn't resist the temptation that presented itself so invitingly. Kaname's body needed no preparation - Zero's cum was still trickling from between the pureblood's legs, moistening everything thoroughly. Zero rubbed his length between the pureblood's cheeks, coating himself and clearly stating his intent to his mate. Kaname simply moaned and spread his legs in invitation. Zero slid into the pureblood very slowly and deliberately, relishing Kaname's surrender as the shudders traveled along the pureblood's body.

Zero made love to him. Slow, deep and gentle.

It was the only answer he could give.

~{}~

"So, now that we're all here, why is it we are meeting again so soon?" Miyazaki questioned irritated. It was just the three of them in the dark in a nearly empty warehouse. Ishida, Miyazaki and Fukuda. They used no lights and stood almost silently in the stuffy blackness.

"Where's Ojima?" Fukuda asked, peering non-chalantly into the gloom.

Ishida was glad that the extravagant golden pharao tattoos didn't glow in the dark. "I think it would be best if he didn't join us anymore. Ojima appears to be deteriorating rather fast. He can no longer be trusted."

"I see. Do we need a replacement?" he asked.

"I fail to see the point of discussing this. Our plans are still moving forward." Miyazaki said.

"Things haven't exactly been going to plan." Ishida remarked testily.

Miyazaki frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Kiryu isn't captured. Our actions concerning the young Ichijou did not go unnoticed by Kuran..."

"So...?" Miyazaki shrugged.

"Our position isn't the best."

"I don't see the problem. We let the Kurans battle it out and label the one who comes out on top as unstable." Miyazaki pressed on.

"Who would contest a Kuran? Particularly when he won against another?" Fukuda sounded skeptical.

"Sara Shirabuki was one of the few powerful purebloods left and she is dead. The Hious refuse to claim their ownership of Kiryu for fear of Kuran. They will not help us." Ishida pointed out.

"What do you suggest?" Fukuda asked.

"Perhaps supporting the Peace Treaty isn't such a bad idea after all..." Ishida mused.

Miyazaki looked disgusted. "You can't be serious..."

"Think about it. As long as there is a stalemate between hunters and vampires, any breach of that is an excuse to execute the pureblood responsible. We simply uphold the peace and make sure the hunters are the ones to do the dirty work... or at least get in the way, when trouble happens..."

"I like the idea." Fukuda agreed. "It saves me resources..."

Miyazaki furrowed her brow. "Oh for goodness sake, you and your resources - all you care about is having enough money to spend on more ridiculous dresses and robes. It's a stupid idea. The hunter's know their own kind too well. They won't fall for it. It would make all our previous efforts pointless..."

"Quite the contrary. Weren't you going to give the hunters a gift? Make certain the gift arrives in impeccable condition. Post-exchange deterioration could be due to any number of problems..."

Miyazaki huffed. "What happened to your gift? Wasn't it supposed to make things easier? Wasn't the little toyboy supposed to soften defenses?"

Fukuda grinned. "I think his forte lies more in making certain things hard..."

Miyazaki glared back at him.

"We should resume as closely to the original plan as possible." Ishida continued sternly. "The weapons exchange should take place as soon as possible, so we can improve on our hybrid testing program. Don't forget the objective here. We need a way to counter purebloods. Events such as these always show us how vulnerable the Council is to their whims. If that means siding with the hunters for a while, then I am willing to go for that."

Fukuda furrowed his brow. "We should make sure, though, that we don't become too dependent on them..."

Miyazaki snorted. "That shouldn't be too much of a problem. Most of them are bumbling fools, apparently."

"Then how is is possible you haven't been able to get your hands on one of them?" Ishida asked.

"We were close. The tunnels were a good idea. It separated them into manageable groups. Someone simply sent morons to do the job of a pro."

"I agree." Fukuda said. "We need to provide a similar setting..."

"I have no more Level E's..." Miyazaki groaned.

"But I have what you need to make them." Fukuda pulled out a vial. "I've been travelling. And I've been shopping - and not just for robes and dresses. There are still markets that provide pureblood venom. You just need to know where to look."

~{}~

Zero was deep in thought as he followed Yagari through the halls of the association. It was very quiet. All the hunters from the night shift had long ago handed in their reports and left for some sleep and the day shift would only arrive in another hour. But it suited them both well. Neither was particularly fond of company at any given time of the day, but today in particular, Yagari's step was uncharacteristically heavy. Not that anyone except Zero would ever have noticed - the senior hunter didn't usually reveal his strength and agility unless during an immediate fight - but currently he was quite drained. Zero suspected their fight had seriously cost his mentor.

Zero wasn't exactly feeling awesome himself. But he, too, would never admit it. Physically, he was fine - Kaname had insisted on feeding him until there wasn't a trace of a bruise left on him, be it from their love making or his training battle with Yagari. But all the brimming energy inside him didn't change the fact that something very serious had transpired and the depth of his connection to the pureblood felt like it had opened a very deep and dark chasm inside him. He hadn't wanted to have to go there ever again. He had locked his heart away and he saw no reason to change that.

And yet...

"... you have to be my light, Zero."

Those simple words. That soft voice. That nearly innocent plea. It was going to break him. He just knew it.

Zero had been so deep in thought that he barely registered where they were going. Though he had naturally explored a bunch of rooms and hallways he shouldn't have been able to enter in the first place, Zero had never been to this particular hallway because he had never looked for it.

There were spells like that. When Zero was young they had seemed entirely useless to learn. If you tried to hide something from someone because you didn't want them to find it, there was a good chance that they would be looking for it and in those cases most of those spells were useless. But to hide something that was unknown - there was no simpler way to do it. It was a classic. A bookshelf like every other bookshelf in the library that carried nothing but copies of outdated versions of standard volumes. Zero smiled ruefully as he realized the effectiveness. Of course - who would ever care for a bunch of third edition of "Basic spells against lower vampires" when the twenty-eighth edition was about to come out and the original first edition was presented on a gold stand in the middle of the room?

With practiced ease, Yagari activated the doorway spell and motioned Zero to follow him. Then, he re-activated it and the bookshelf door slid shut behind them.

In silence, they wound their way into deep vaults unknown to Zero. It was a maze of corridors and doorways, but Yagari obviously knew exactly where to go. The senior hunter moved quietly, dispelling and reassembling charms as they went through the dimly lit halls. At last they came to a door and Yagari stopped.

"What I will show you now is a carefully guarded secret. Many of the hunters don't know much about it and barely anyone I have ever met knows the full story."

"Why show me?" Zero asked.

Yagari grinned. "I told you I'd show you how I gained that strength if you managed to beat me." He gestured to the door.
"You did, so here we are."

Zero nodded slowly.
Yagari spoke a few ancient words and the door glowed a dark purple before it faded into black.
"How much do you know about the creation of the hunters?" Yagari asked. Then he stepped into the blackness, leaving Zero alone with the unanswered question.
Zero followed, his body rejecting the hunter charm intensely, but he got through.

The chamber was dim and almost unfurnished stone masonry. The only thing illuminating it, was a small red crystal placed on a black, velvet pillow on a metal stand in the center of the room. It glowed and pulsed with energy, filling the air with a pleasant vibrating hum. Zero smiled unknowingly and stood in peace, basking in it's comforting hum. It felt warm to him and for some reason it was calling out to him. It was beckoning him like a warm embrace. He wanted desperately to touch it. It promised warmth unlike anything he had known.
He stepped closer to the stone but stopped before touching it. It's lure was almost unbearably strong and strangely enough, it called to all his senses, hunter and vampire alike. But Zero restrained himself and looked at his sensei before touching the artifact.

Yagari was watching him with a guarded gaze and Zero thought he detected a trace of awe in his mentor's gaze.
"Do you know what this is?" Yagari asked after a moment.

It felt familiar to him. It also had a scent to it that was vaguely familiar as well. Slowly it dawned on him.
"Is this... a blood crystal?"
Yagari nodded still staring at him.
"What...?" Zero asked.

"You are the first hunter ever to restrain yourself on first contact." Yagari said.
"I had to train for hours until I was able to keep my hand from it's glow. Most hunters have to be dragged from this room forcefully a dozen times before they can manage. But you have fought your blood lust for so long, you aren't troubled by having to resist, are you?"

Zero blushed and shook his head.

Yagari nodded.
"Go on and touch it."

Zero looked at him questioningly.
"It's a blood crystal of HER blood. You know, the one who created the hunters. Everyone who touches it, sees a different part of the story. Depending on how strong you are, it'll answer your questions - or not. I can't tell you what you will see or what you will feel. It's different for everybody. Understand our story and where we come from - where our power comes from - and you'll be a senior hunter. Without the paperwork, of course. But that's not what matters. It'll show you what you need to know. It'll show you what powers you really have - and you'll be a full senior hunter, the youngest in history. And the first to be a vampire, too. I'll be here the whole time, and your body will be, too. But your mind may be gone from this time for the blink of an eye or hours. Can't say. All depends on the memory of the crystal and what it'll show you.

Zero stepped toward the stone and looked up at his mentor. Yagari nodded. Then Zero softly let his fingers rest on it. The effect was instant. The blood crystal pulsed through him warmly and drew him in. He knew instantly, when he saw the first images appear in his mind, that he would see the entire story. And it unfolded in vivid detail, so very unlike the snippets and bits that Kaname had told him about.

He saw the hurt and the pain of early days, when the lands were young and humans were barely capable of using fire. How the people struggled to survive in the wilderness between giant roaming animals. But there was hope. She was the one who had taught them, encouraged them and was loved by them. But she, too, needed to feed. Zero watched her, as she held a bloody human girl in her lap - distressed and utterly horrified at the Level E state that she had caused, the realization dawning on her lovely features that she was different in a way that destroyed the fragile race she wanted to protect.

So she created vampires when she fed and stabilized them by feeding them in turn. She formed a court of low-blood vampires - all bound to her, because she refused to kill. The people she wanted to care for were not too happy about it, but worshiped her nonetheless. Now more out of fear than out of reverence. Her following grew strong on her blood. But when the battles came, when two of the other purebloods swarmed in, they all depended on her too much to fight on their own. They put up a valiant fight, but they all perished. At the last moment, she killed one of the other purebloods. But it was too late. Her court was dead. The humans of the village she held so dear were hideously mauled to death and lay strewn across the battle grounds in mutilated heaps of flesh.

In utter anguish, she vanished.

In her absence, Zero watched the surrounding human settlements get torn apart in the battles between the warring purebloods. Time passed and she wandered the lands aimlessly, hardening her heart against what she was. And against what those of her kind had done. And all the while centuries rolled by. Humans evolved. Landscapes changed. There were kingdoms - kingdoms Zero hadn't even learned about in history classes because they were so ancient. There were wars. There were marvels. There were plagues. And after a while, there was a ruler. Zero recognized him immediately, though his appearance was very different. But the regal demeanor, the cold gaze and the long flowing dark hair left him without a doubt. It was Kaname. Kaname, the Ancestor.

He sat on his throne of an enormous palace and he reigned with terror. He fed mercilessly. He sent to war whom he didn't kill himself. He tolerated no error. He raped as he pleased and his offspring was powerful and loyal to him. Dispatched into small kingdoms within his empire, they reigned as he did. Humans were cattle. Level E's were fair game, hunted for sport. Level D's were slaves. And the rest were servants. His servants. Out of the other five pureblood ancestors, he had already killed four in bloody battles at the cost of thousands of lives. Some of their offspring survived, of course, but most were captured, tortured and murdered. There was only one ancestor left to kill, before he had total control over the blood of the Vampire race. And it was only a matter of time until they would meet.

But when she entered his court, something changed.

He should have felt the need to kill her. He should have wanted to cement his power by tearing her apart as a spectacle for all others to witness. But that was not how it happened. When she entered his court, he found that she was different. She had a spirit unlike any he had ever encountered. She showed no fear. She showed no interest in him. She was unimpressed by his power. And she had no desire to gain power on her own. She carried herself with a sense of freedom that he barely remembered from his own early days. She was so unlike any of the other ancestors that he was absolutely mystified.

And he realized then, that he didn't want to kill her. Because she was absolutely not interested in anything he had. Quite the contrary, he wanted what she had.

She let herself be entertained by him for a while. But they were so different that Kaname found it hard to keep her attention. All of his other servants, his allies and his own offspring were easily wooed by gifts, by power or by praise. And he tried all of that on her. He sent her lavish gifts, had his slaves build the most wondrous things for her. He offered her power in positions all his other servants would kill for. He showered her with adoration and beautiful words.

But she wanted none of it.

Instead, she wanted his time. His attention. His efforts.

Her smile softened him enough to speak on even terms. And they grew amiable. And for a while, she graced his side. But she couldn't stand how he treated his subjects and he couldn't accept the value of her gentle views. And so, they parted ways, and she resumed her aimless travels. And he let her go, because he knew she wouldn't contest his reign. And he knew he would regret killing her for eons to come.

He stayed on his throne, heartbroken. Unable to let go of the seats of power he had created. And she wandered the countryside, heartbroken. Unable to bind herself to structures of a society that she felt she could not protect. The story might have ended in that way. But a few weeks into her travels, she realized that she was pregnant with his child.

In the months that she wandered through the countryside she detested the thought of raising her child in a world so filled with hatred. And so, she made a choice. She settled in a small village that had been ransacked over and over by the vampires that ruled in the emperor's name. They had been kept like cattle and she freed them and defended them against the local pureblood. Once the emperor, Kaname, learned of the audacity his offspring had in attacking his wife, the province leaders were all beheaded by him, personally and the humans were freed. From them on, all vampires knew that she and her new kingdom was off limits and so her presence protected them and they came to love and trust her. In secret though, she made use of the smithy and in long hours forged a weapon to her liking, even as the child grew in her.

One day, she sent the emperor a letter, telling him about her pregnancy and the day he should meet her to witness the birth of a warrior. He naturally believed it would be his child. His son. But when he arrived, he could only bear witness to her sacrifice.

The weapon she had created had pierced her abdomen. And the villagers were feasting on the combined blood of her and that of her child. With her last strength, she grasped the boy closest to her and kissed him with her last breath, biting and feeding, pouring her strength and wisdom into his veins... His hair turned silver that instant and his eyes were imbued with the purple of her magic. As her body disintegrated into flower petals, Kaname rushed to preserve what he could of her, forming the blood gem with as much of his strength as he could. At that moment, Kaname lost himself. For the first time he learned what it meant to lose a loved one. For the first time in his life he was truly consumed with suffering. In anguish, he burned the settlement with a flicker of a thought. And he rose from the ashes of his wife and child as a different being - black and winged, a demon in its truest form. He set out to murder the ones who had drunk her blood, who had defiled her in his eyes. But the ones she had fed would not perish. His will could not force them, his magic could not hurt them and his weapons could not cleave them. The young boy with the silver hair and the burning purple eyes lifted the Artemis and spoke a few ancient words. Its power radiated through him, branding him with the same hunter tattoos that Zero had seen on his mentor. They glowed in a dark purple and the Artemis answered that glow of hunter magic. Then, the small child brought it down on Kaname with a blow that shattered the pureblood Ancestor to the core.

As he lay there, utterly defeated - though not dead - his heart bled into the gem he had made of her remains and it pulled him in - literally. He and the gem vanished to a distant land, far away from the battles, while the newly born hunters went into hiding to hone the powers they had been given.

Zero found himself understanding in all clarity how the hunters were connected to vampires. How strong they could truly be. And how little he had up until now understood that connection. He grasped immediately that he would - now - never fall to level E. Zero felt a tear of unknown relief crawl down his cheek as the blood gem of the hunter's creator redeemed him to an eternally stable vampire and hunter. In a way, he had bonded to the crystal now and felt at peace. But because it was a bond with the past, he hadn't lost his connection to the pureblood.

He could feel Kaname questioning his mind and he let him in. This wasn't a hunter trophy, it was a part of Kaname's past and there was no reason to keep it from him.

"I am glad that the two of you have finally met..." Kaname said quietly into his mind. "The bond I had with her broke with the body I left behind. I have only memories of her now."

Zero released his touch on the crystal.
Though his body had been standing there for the entire time - he couldn't be certain how long that had been. But he felt refreshed and strangely energized. He looked down at the crystal but he didn't touch it again. He knew that it would have nothing more to show him than he had already seen.

He looked up to see Yagari still standing there, gazing at him quietly. Only then did he realize that there was still a tear on his cheek. He wiped it away self-consciously.

Yagari nodded at him.
"You've seen all of it, haven't you?"
Zero nodded.
"Yeah." his voice was oddly distorted.

"Then you've seen it for a reason. I hate to break it to you, but it probably means you'll need to know it all. Something's brewing, and my guess is, it's gonna be ugly."

He regarded Zero with a solemn look.

"You're a good kid, Zero. The best student I've ever seen. The best hunter there is. You're going to have to rise to the challenge, because no one else will be strong enough to handle it. You're a hunter, don't ever forget that. It doesn't matter that you have fangs. It doesn't matter that you love a pureblood. You're still a hunter. The idiots at this association have forgotten, what a true hunter is. A true hunter is part vampire, Zero. Always. It's what we were made to be. It's who we are. It's who you are."

"Thank you, sensei." Zero bowed, feeling flustered at this unexpected praise. But Yagari hadn't finished.

"Make them fear you, Zero. Make the bloodsuckers fear you even more than the hunters do. Trust me, by now, there is no one in the Association who'd wanna cross you. Your power is greater than you know. I knew you'd make fine hunter material - but I'd never imagined you'd be a hunter this good. Be proud of what you are. Don't take crap. From anyone. And now, I expect you to get your ass out into the world and raise hell."