A/N: So I had a document in my Facade folder titled 'Plan' and found written in it:
"LOL what? You actually clicked on this expecting to find a plan? That YOU had written? God, what do you take us for?"
For those who still get confused, when I use italics, it's either to represent scenes that have already happened, or for characters inner thoughts.

Chapter 13: Savage

Kaname pressed his palm against the slender column of Ichijou's throat, fingers delicately, desperately, wrapping around his best-friend's neck. Kaname slid his fingers a little higher, tilting his head ever so slightly, ignoring the weak pulse that barely fluttered against his finger-tips.

He would be okay.

He told himself, his eyes flittering across each serene feature of the unconscious form before him.

Takuma would be okay.

That's what Kaname told himself as he pressed smooth, unusually calm lips gently against his. with a renewed sense of confidence, he slipped his tongue past the lips of his friend; soft caresses that carefully mapped the inside of his mouth. There was a vague familiarity to the feeling that left him sighing as he let his eyes flutter closed.

He would be okay.

For a moment longer, the pureblood let himself indulge, before parting their lips - which seemed to leave him with an odd longing sensation. Finally, slinking his arms under the frail form resting on the bed, he lifted the blonde to his chest, before quietly carrying Takuma back to his room.

What if you'd killed him too?

The thought itself made him feel rather empty.

...

"This time, if you're not feeling well, tell me. Don't go passing out on me again," Kaito regarded his friend carefully, knocking his chest firmly with a tightly balled fist. Kaito's eyes travelled across each drawn feature of Zero's face, searching. He studied him closely; from that familiar evasive half-lidded smooth lavender gaze, to the invisible strings pulling somewhat half-heartedly at the corners of his dry cracked lips. Even now, Zero, he was hiding something. How he even had the energy... how...

Kaito swiped his tongue along his own bottom lip, before catching Zero's eyes finally, if only for a second. In that moment, the only thing that seemed to lay pure and honest before him, was the exhaustion that drew such an unhealthy paleness to his skin.
Dark, uneven black cresents set like a permanent marker beneath each of his eyes, Kaito hadn't missed those either.

A lack of will, a lack of purpose, a lack of any form of motivation what so ever; it was evident in his body language alone. Either that, or Zero was reaching his limit. Kaito hadn't even as much as taunted Zero after their first encounter, and as much as Kaito trusted his ironclad will... Zero had to be coming close. They had been together just over a few days.

When had he last..?

Kaito stared into pools of liquid lavender; those eyes that told him all and nothing all at once. The hand that Kaito didn't have balled at the silverette's chest instinctively itched to reach for Zero's, but Kaito caught the movement, stopping himself before his own hand could even so much as twitch.

The seemingly void lilac that was Zero's gaze dropped to the knuckles that knocked at his chest like they were trying to pry their way in. Kaito watched closely, before pulling his hand away and unzipping the shoulder bag that hung loose at his hip. "Got it?" he didn't look away as he reached in, keeping his eyes fixed on Zero's.

Zero's eyes widened with an ever so slight hint of curiosity, lavender orbs following Kaito's hand. Why he was half expecting Kaito to pull out a gun; he didn't know. His eyes darted from the transparent crimson bag in Kaito's hands, up to unreadable brown.

The next thing he knew, Kaito had slapped something against Zero's chest, only to have him fumble to grab the offending object. He pressed his fingers against thin plastic and cast his glance down at the cold small bag that now sat in his hands. Zero's eyes widened considerably when he realised what he was holding.

"Where did you get this?" His grasp tightened around the thin bag, threatening to burst it with the force of his grip, he forced his eyes away from the frighteningly inviting crimson contents, grimacing at how much he wanted to...

No.

"Don't ask, just drink it" Zero finally lifted his heavy gaze. Kaito, who seemed to be avoiding this obvious stare, busied himself with the zip of his bag.

Zero couldn't suddenly help but wonder what else Kaito had hiding in there. If he wasn't so stunned, he might have even cracked a laugh at the thought of some silly Vampire survival kit. Not Kaito like at all.
Unscrewing the tiny lid off the small blood-pack, he resisted the beastly urge that tore through his throat like an undying hunger only the absolute starved would know of. Ignoring the hitch of his breath and the unrelenting heaviness that pressed down on his chest, he dumped its contents down the sink right to the very last drop.

His tongue unconsciously darted out to swipe his bottom lip; Kaito didn't miss this.

"You're really as stubborn as ever."

...

Zero POV

Zero breathed as he hung above the shining metallic surface of the sink, the distant promise of bloody remnants teasing his senses like a feast to the absolute starved. The beast inside wondered frantically if any of the heavenly delight could be salvaged as he scanned hungrily at the glistening wet silver before him. Knuckles tightly gripped at the cool edges of the sink paled considerably with the forceful intensity of their grasp.

"I don't want to..." Kaito paused. "But if you fall, I wont hesitate to kill you"

Kaito hadn't been joking; Zero knew. Kaito had killed even his own brother, what made him think that Kaito would even give him a second thought?

Steadily, his breathing began to falter. Sweat seeped through his skin as he sucked in air like a desperately strangled victim, trying so hard to focus on the need to get oxygen in his lungs. Over the sound of his laboured breathing, his whine came almost silent, like a dog that had just been kicked in the stomach.

His attempts at respiration, they were futile.

He couldn't. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't. Oxygen, that wasn't what he really needed. not truly. What he needed... it was staring him in the face. It didn't matter that it was pitch-black, for he could see the stains of his earlier mistake clearly. He dipped down, the edges of soft silver hair dampening ever so slightly as he inched his face closer, strands sticking to the sink like magnets against its surface. His breath came even more ragged, the heat of every exhale stunning him with the realisation that he was actually doing this... but before he could really process the thought, it was already done.

What little oxygen he had managed to intake, he exhaled shakily as he stroked his tongue across the cold hard metal before him, the crusty residue of life's essence disappearing in its wake.

It wasn't enough, he needed more.

The slick tongue searched once more, eagerly lapping over the same spot, expecting each stroke of his tongue to taste greater than the last, but all he was offered was bitter disappointment gnawing at his jaw, like the taste of stale milk.

"What are you doing?" The voice at the door behind him snapped Zero out of his haze as the light flickered on unexpectedly. The ex-hunter blinked before lifting his head and forcing his breathing back to something that would at least resemble normal.

"I-I thought I was going to be sick." Zero's voice tremored uncontrollably, but how he sounded was the least of his worries. His concern lied trying to keep the erratic beat of his heart to stay in his chest and not trying to come up and out through his throat. If his heart had an eject button, his body was pressing it over and over.

Zero felt like he was dying all over again.

You'd think he'd be used to that by now.

In an instant, Kaito had gone from half asleep and rubbing one eye, to awake, wide and alert the next. His hunter senses were screaming at him, and he was not one to ignore them. Not unguarded, he approached Zero with utmost caution.

"Then why didn't you run to the bathroom? It's closer." Kaito narrowed his eyes, approaching the form haunched over the sink, half expecting him to turn around and hiss at him like a grumpy cat; weird dream, Kaito mentally shook his head. Was he still sleeping or something?

Zero didn't even turn to look at him. How could he?

"K-Kaito, go back to bed" Zero forced the words passed his clenched teeth, the sudden stench was overwhelming, both welcomed and unwelcomed. This longing desire... his eyes were glowing, and Zero knew it. Kaito had to leave... now. If he didn't, then...

No matter how hard he tried, Zero was steadily loosing the reigns over his control, the will seemingly undying that he had shaped perfectly. In that moment, he could feel it, the claws of something ominous pulling at the corners of his vision, at the corners of each and every one of his senses, the claws of something oh so sinister pulling at the seams of his very being. He was losing it, he was losing himself.

This feeling... it was unrivalled. Apprehension drowned him like an unwanted embrace, as the seed of fear that had lain dormant within him all this time finally unleashed its fury.

"K-kaito, please" the desperation in his voice was not his own, and the present stutter was even more unwelcoming, he was losing the grip he had on what he once was.

This urgent plead...

What have you been reduced to?

Soon, it wouldn't matter.

Kaito panicked as Zero stumbled backward, taking the dishes that were settled to dry from last night's dinner down with him with an obnoxiously loud smash. Echoes of broken glass were like silent whispers in his head- he hardly registered them. Those eyes of his, dizzy and wandering, bright with hunger, barren of everything but desire, all alight with a gaze that was not his own.

Realisation hit Kaito like a bullet in the very centre of his chest.

"Don't you dare." Kaito raised his voice through gritted teeth, caring not of the shattered glass that cut into his knees as he fell down beside the restless convulsing body on the ground. "Don't you dare give up on me now" The firm toughness of Kaito's grip digging into his shoulders was the last thing Zero felt and the empty echo of his plead the last thing he heard, before everything faded to black.

***
Kaname POV

Kaname was irratible. He didn't know why, but he was so damn irritable as of late. The smallest, simplest of things irked him like no other; like the fleet of birds for example that had for some reason decided to take residence in their garden of all the surrounding grassland.

What seemed to grace the top of his list was his dearly beloved. As if the constant tweeting of those damn birds wasn't enough Yuki was beginning to drive him along the bumpy road of insanity with her incessant needless questions. Both of which Kaname loathed.

Yuki's curious concern hit his ears time and time again like a gun with infinite ammo. Her most favourite line of questioning beginning with a very tear-felt 'What's wrong Kaname?' followed by a self-pitying 'You never talk to me about anything anymore'. He had heard lines like these more often than not.

In their days at cross academy, her concern spread a warmth unlike no other throughout his chest, only now, it left him feeling bitter exasperation. Every word that slipped past her delicate lips was once listened to with a careful consideration and adoration, and, back then, he always gave her the responses and answers she desired.

Now, it almost seemed like too much bother.

The front of this unyielding perfection was tiresome.

Kaname stared down at the hard marble that decorated the patio of their vast garden, slowly following the intricated design engraved before each of his steps. The distant tweeting of those birds threatened to break the silence that encompassed his peace.

How dare they.

How dare he.

His body began to trembled involuntarily, and his lips tingled unpleasantly. He tried to lick the strange sensation away, but to no avail it's unpleasantness only grew. He burried his teeth into his bottom lip, his unresolved frustration now dripping down his chin.

Tweet~ Twoo~

He ground his teeth together, annoyance, exasperation and something more sinister grating on his nerves. All he desired were a few moments of undisturbed silence. Setting his lips in a firm line, he let his own blood fill his mouth with a bitter grimace, before covering each ear with hands that trembled to match.

Like their beaks were stuffed down his ears, their attempted joy-induced singing grew louder. He clenched his jaw.

Kaname had never felt so overwhelmed. Closing his eyes, he breathed a sigh to try and calm himself. To no avail, he balled his fists without consent, so much so that his his knuckles turned white from the force.

The birds let out a distant strangled shrill, one after another.

The noise finally stopped.

For mere moments he could relax, before it was the deafening silence creeping up on him like a thief in the night that made him long to block it out.

"Kaname, the bird... it doesnt sing anymore" every morning it graced them with its natural beauty, a melody sweet enough not to wake but lull one back into a peaceful state of unconsciousness.

"I loved that bird kaname." A man once guiltless, now ridden with nothing but it.

"I miss that bird," she mumbled half asleep, as she could feel herself fade into consciousness. It was sleepless mornings like these that her beloved bird ushered her stressed mind back to sleep.

Everything she had ever loved, he had taken it all away. Her humanity... even the smallest little things in life he unknowingly deprived her of.

He knew he was the cause for it all.

All for what?

His needless selfish desires. His desperate moments of greed. What kind of pureblood mate was he? Looking out for nobodies best interests but his own.

A humorless smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Greed, selfishness... these were the very essence of pureblood vampires; Kaname Kuran was prime in example.

Even so... Yuki as pure as snow, as tender as princess' come; she didnt deserve a man like that. She deserved so much more.

Maybe she would've been better off with Him after all...

Kaname took the thought back in the very same heartbeat.

You're mine. You're both mine.
"How is he?" The voice snapped Kaname away from his thoughts, breaking his daze with but a small whisper. It hadn't changed... she still asked with the undying underlying compassion he loathed so. She knew she was treading on unspeakable territory, they both knew. The very mention still didnt stop his anger igniting like a blizzardous rain of fire down upon his mood.

"Alive" Kaname replied curtly, the lie coming like second nature. Already hating where the direction of this conversation was going, he didn't hide it. Somehow, he didn't have the energy anymore. "Yes, alive." Kaname paused, the corners of his mouth twitched, the ghost of a smirk reering its ugly head. "Does that not satify your concern? Or more rightly so, your curiosity?"

Yuki watched the array of emotions unfold on the pureblood lord's lips, both subtle and blatant, as her brows knitted together in a mix of hurt and confusion. She frowned, jutting her bottom lip out, the cold edge of Kaname's normally smooth voice not going unnoticed.

"No it doesn't. Can-" She pouted, suddenly feeling like she was being treated like a spoilt child.

"No you can't see him." Kaname cut her off like he knew what was coming. The expresson on his face, it wasn't an expression Yuki could say she'd seen before. She didn't like it... the plain and visible vacancy that engulfed each feature, the non-hesitant dismissal each word that fell off his lips offered.

She was used to the normal, gentle hum of his voice telling her all the things she wanted to hear; sweet nothings, whispers of warmth and comfort by her ear. The voice that fell by her ears now, it was not his, nothing about Kaname was him... not recently.

This unsettled her. This unsettled her greatly.

What was she supposed to do?

She threw her arms against her chest, crossed tightly, her confusion turning to anger. Her reply came stern, "I don't care if it costs me my life, I demand to see Zero kaname." her response that left no room for debate was shot down almost effortlessly.

"No."

"What am I, your prisoner now?"

"No"

"Am I not allowed to disappear for days on end like you do, without so much as a word or an inclination as to where I'm going?"

"No"

"So tell me, what am I to you then?" tears began to brim in her eyes. The thought never occurred to her and she suddenly feared the answer to her own question.

Kaname didn't respond. Yuki pursed her lips, and it was a while before she could open her mouth to speak again.

"Is he still...?" she wanted to say human, but Zero never really was human, not truly. A single tear spilled from her eye then, as her unsure, quiet whisper came. It was almost like she didn't really want to know. The way Kaname was now... She wasn't sure if she wanted to.

For a moment, he didn't falter.

Just for a moment.

"I don't... know" He seemed hesitant, his voice rang in Yuki's ears after the lengthy silence that followed her question. To Yuki, she could only discern his hesitation as one thing...

"You don't know?" eyes innocent, as wide as saucers. "H-he's..." a pause. She knew there wasn't much keeping Zero from falling to level-e, for the longest time he'd waited for himself to rot away. He was like a ticking time bomb, though Zero had even managed to strike a deal with Yuki; to think she had once agreed to shoot him with his own revolver if it ever came down to it.

Yeah, that was long ago, by now... he was probably already de-

"Isn't he..?"

The look in her large chocolate brown gaze, it pulled him in unwillingly, yet he could feel himself falter all the more they stared at eachother. It was the same thing time and time again; Yuki trying to read what she could in Kaname's eyes, and Kaname hiding the deepest and darkest secrets of the world.

Kaname forced his eyes away from her magnetic glare.

"I don't know," he murmured quietly, calmly.

If his voice, his gaze, wasn't void with any emotion what so ever before, then it certainly was now.
Lies

Yuki blinked frantic, eyes still searching. Kaname was lying, he couldn't even seem to look back at her.

...What was he truly hiding...?

A/N: Inner turmoil has brought me back, I might actually eventually finish this? ...I doubt it.