Note: If it's important to know, I'd say this takes place sometime after chapter 30 (since I refer to events that occurred in that chapter and this way I can play around with details.) For obvious reasons, Yuki will stay as a human.

Vampire Knight belongs to Matsuri Hino. I own nothing. ):

{ Chapter 1: Lease }

xxx

Zero stood in a familiar setting, the walls and floors all well-known by his sight, the building practically home to a union he had pledged his life too. Yet comfort was far from what he was experiencing at the moment, the reason most likely being that he was placed in the middle of the courtroom, victim to having his brethren cast judgemental glowers his way.

The hand he rests in his pocket scrunches the offending item it finds in there viciously. It was the note that had brought him here, one measly sentence that was responsible for the situation he was now facing. Your presence is required immediately by the President, it had said, along with various threats should he failure to comply within a punctual time.

It was confusing more than worrying. To his knowledge, he hadn't screwed up too badly recently. Any missions they sent his way he dealt with—discreetly, quickly and efficiently. Yagari would be proud.

Speaking of his sensei…the only friendly faces here were those of Yagari, the Chairman, and the rare comrade he'd managed to keep after his vampire status had been revealed. Overall, the odds were evidently against him and every second he spent would be another rope around his neck. Better to get this over with quick—whatever this was.

"You wished to see me?"

He nearly winces at the way his voice echo's through the courtroom, dissolving the fabricated peace it once held.

"Yes, Kiryu. Although wished may not be the word I would have used."

It's hard to tell if the President is actually laughing at him or not, his pinched up features too unfamiliar to read, so Zero keeps his silence, knowing it will aggravate his leader more than any retort could. Sure enough, it works.

"Nothing to say? Very well." The President shifts through various papers until he finds the one he wants (documents that probably have countless flaws of every hunter alive sketched onto them, simple words that held the power to decide a person's fate). "Kiryu Zero, you have been brought here on the allegation of not only being in the possession of pure blood, but also by the act of stealing this blood from Kuran Kaname."

"What?" Zero yells in surprise. His mind had raced through the various reasons why the President would call on him personally, but that had never occurred to him. Why would it?—No one was meant to know of it.

Cross is watching him with heavy sympathy locked in eyes that are usually sheltered by lenses, but there's no shock evident—no, never shock. The Chairman always seemed to be aware of anything that happened at the Academy before it even occurred. He was an idiot for thinking this would be any different. Deep in his heart, he knows Cross wasn't the person who had ratted him out; which left just one other.

Fighting for the right words, Zero manages, "There must be a mistake. I never stole. He offered—"

He cuts off with a strangled hiss. Not only was it humiliating to admit that he'd needed that bastard's blood to stop him from deteriorating into a Level E, nothing more than a shell wrapped up of gluttonous hunger and bloodlust, but to also admit that he'd drank it with barely a fight…

"I see." The President leans back in satisfaction, looking down at him with repulsion. "So the Pureblood offers you his blood regularly, and you, one who is bound to our laws—laws of a hunter—eagerly accept?"

It's not like that, he wants to scream in sickened denial, but shame is vastly overtaking the anger he's suffering and reducing him to a shaking mess of contempt. It's too much to handle, knowing that now the whole Association was aware of the poison that now contaminated his already damned blood. It's a sin he wanted to take to the grave, and now it's a sin that might as well have been carved into his forehead for all to see.

"Your continued silence only further worsens your case, Kiryu." A leer grows on the Presidents face, lips smeared in gloss stretching into a sickly smile. "Or did you get so caught up on the thought of that man's blood that communication has become impossible for you?"

Zero flinches. The rest of the board jolts at the intrusive remark, his sensei even leaping over the wooden barrier that surrounds the stand where the audience are seated and coming to stand by his side in an angry rush, but another voice interjects before any violence can follow.

"I find your needless provocation to be an irritation, esteemed President of the hunters." The words are quietly spoken yet somehow simultaneously stern. "And I believe I asked you to await my arrival before allowing court to begin. Should I take offense at this?"

The figure materialises from the corner of the room, where the shadows have most grown, coating the floor in black. Kaname wastes no time walking to the center as everyone recovers from their shock of seeing a vampire suddenly appear effortlessly at the pinnacle of their headquarters.

Being outside the Academy means Kaname isn't in his usual white and pristine Night Class uniform that Zero's become accustomed to associating with the Pureblood. He still looks every bit like an arrogant, wealthy aristocrat though, with his long expensive trench coat following his gait and black leather dress shoes clicking on the tiles.

Kaname wisely keeps his distance from Zero as he reaches the front of the stand. The murderous intent must really be dripping off him, then, for even a Pureblood to take caution. Good. Or it could be because Yagari is seething behind him, glancing between Kaname and the President as if he can't decide which one he wants to shoot first. At this point, Zero isn't entirely sure either.

"No need to fret," The President chirps in happily; a little too happily to be anything but false, "we will take care of Kiryu's punishment within our own rules. There's no need for you to be here fo—"

"You are mistaken in my intentions," Kaname interrupts with clear disdain. "I informed the Association of Kiryu's and mine connection for a more respectful purpose."

The term connection makes Zero clench his trousers fabric tightly in his hands, disgust and anger curling and filly his belly. If Kuran's purpose was to destroy Zero's reputation as a hunter, he was doing a spectacular job.

At least it answered how the Association knew of it. So, Kaname had basically backstabbed him after offering him salvation. The deceit shouldn't surprise him, this was a Pureblood vampire he was dealing with, and trust wasn't an emotion that would ever grow between him and any of their vile kind—but still.

What was Kuran playing at? How would dragging him through the mud be of any benefit to him?

"What purpose would that be, Representative Kuran?" Cross asks, luckily voicing Zero's thoughts.

Any trace of his guardian—one Zero might even refer to as father in a private setting—is lost beneath the formal regulation of being an Elite Hunter in charge of making the imperative decisions. It's a trait he's always admired in the otherwise airheaded Chairman, but now it causes worry to stir.

"I trust you've all heard the rumours of Kuran Rido, my ancestor said to be mad on his path for power?" Kaname questions. The effect it has on the room is instantaneous, gasps of fear and disbelief echoing around, and Kaname nods like he expected that very reaction. "Good, that will save me the trouble of having to explain. My resolve is simple: to stop my uncle from rising again, in turn destroying any hope we have at gaining peace and at making vampires a race that can rely on reasoning instead of violence."

"What the hell has that got to do with me?!" Zero finally bursts, unable to listen to Kuran's pretty little pacifism speech any longer.

He instantly regrets it as Kaname's attentions rest completely on him, his eyes alight with a conquering blaze, as if Zero's a pawn that's moved exactly how he wanted him to, pushing the game in his favour.

"An excellent question, Kiryu-kun," Kaname says.

Zero frowns. "One you feel like answering anytime soon?"

Kaname's lips twitch in amusement and he turns back to the board. "The only thing keeping my uncle restrained is the lack of Kuran blood he has, halting his ability to regenerate. This blood doesn't necessarily have to come from one belonging to the Kuran line. For example, one who has fed on that blood recently would do the job just as efficiently."

He doesn't need to say anymore. Understanding is present on everyone's faces.

The Chairman adjusts his glasses in what Zero knows is a nervous habit. "Knowing you, Kaname, you've come here with a solution already in mind?"

A solution that came from Kaname didn't sound promising at all and Zero's whole body stiffens in anticipation of what would occur next, surely being misfortune for him.

Kaname spreads his hands, enticing the court to unconsciously lean closer. "Relinquish your ties to Zero and give him over to me for his own protection. He is a vampire, after all, so any complications that may arise can be easily settled by the Vampire Council."

The room shares a joined stab of shock. Zero's heart gives a hopeless thud against his ribcage as his nails scrap painfully against his palms. Last time he checked he was a living being, not a piece of furniture to be handed off to whoever bargained the highest. He had walked into this building with his freedom, would he now be leaving without it?

"Now hang on!" Yagari yells. "How do we know what this vampire claims to do is the truth?!" He addresses the question to the row of Elite Hunters. "Protection?! Don't make me laugh. Zero's the perfect scapegoat for him—a tool to bring back this ancestor without having to waste any of his precious pure blood!"

A wave of frenzied whispers starts up at the hunter's bold allegation, and if Zero was the smiling type he'd be beaming at his sensei right now. It's not that he believes that to be Kaname's true intention—far from it, in fact—but he'd take any excuse to stay out of the Pureblood's grasp right now.

"Human paranoia will never cease to amuse me," Kaname calmly says once the clatter dies down, appearing completely unperturbed by the accusation and hostile glares he's recipient to. "Or cease to be so annoying."

"You don't deny it, then?" The President says tightly, and all gazes cut to him in expectation of a vocal match between the two who hold such power of different tips of the scale.

Now that Zero's watching the President closely, he can see the obvious tension in the man's frame and harsh grip he has on the ridiculous fan he insists on carrying everywhere. Clearly the verdict of this session was important to the President, to the point of worrying him. But was he worried for Zero? Highly unlikely. There was something else at stake here.

Zero hadn't personally had many encounters with the man, which he was thankful for; while the President held one of the highest ranks in the Association, Zero still felt like he wasn't…part of their side. He held no facts, but as a hunter he relied on his instincts, and those very instincts screamed at him to stay away from the man with beady eyes that slithered down your spine like a snake, who hid the rest of his face behind that wretched fan. He'd never spoke his doubts aloud, to do so would be idiotic and most likely to get him thrown into a cell for a night, but that didn't mean he didn't think them frequently.

Kaname sighs softly, and Zero swears he can feel a hot breath brush his cheek despite the distance. He scratches the offending patch of skin in irritation, ignoring his sensei's look of concern.

"If I truly desired that beast to be woken and freed from his nightmarish cage, would I have really waited this long just for the.." Kaname tilts his head in the direction of Yagari, an almost playful movement if it weren't for the darkness in his gaze, "…how did you put it? Ah yes, the 'perfect scapegoat'. This heinous goal of mine could be accomplished by a simple cut of my wrist; it would only take all but a few drops."

Yagari crosses his arms, brow falling low; the very epitome of unamused. "Nice try. You're a vampire; you've got the time to wait."

"Not to mention a Pureblood one," Zero obligingly adds, resentment clouding his tone (would Purebloods ever leave him alone?) "Out of everyone, you're in possession of the longest life span."

Kaname glares at him, softened only by the disappointment he sees there at Zero speaking against him, which makes Zero glare back tenfold because seriously, what the fuck? Did Kaname really believe he would be okay with any of this?

They're both drawn out of their glaring contest by Cross coughing to draw their attention, then raising his hands in a surrendering gesture as their scowls turn on him instead. He somehow appears half sheepish and half determined under their scrutiny. "Kaname, if it's the protection of Zero that you're concerned about I can assure you we'll be able to keep him safe in our headquarters."

"Chairman…no." Kaname shakes his head lightly, his long fringe shadowing the movement before finding purchase on his forehead again. "Cross Kaien, in all my years of knowing you, you've never been the type of person to make promises that you know you cannot keep, so..." he pauses, drawing them all in like moths to a flame as they await his next words, "..why start now?"

The Chairman's eyes cut to the President almost of their own accord before flickering back to the Pureblood, and with that brief gesture Zero can tell Kaname has won over his guardians favour. Damn!

Maybe he wasn't the only one who held suspicions about their leader, after all. But that wasn't doing him any favours now!

"I could take him by force."

The declaration is spoken so swiftly and softly, that despite the dangerous undertone they all take an embarrassingly long time to react. When they do, with hunters unsheathing weapons and Yagari pushing Zero behind him, it's all for nothing as Kaname hasn't moved an inch.

In fact, the Purebloods eyes are closed with what could almost be called a peaceful expression, dark lashes motionless on pale skin. It's a bizarre contrast to the atmosphere. Zero knows it's just another way for the vampire to show his superiority to them; practically dangling his life in front of them but still being untouchable.

"Kaname," Cross interjects, trying to be placating but mostly coming across exasperated.

Kaname chuckles as his eyes slide open. "I apologise if my words were inappropriate. Rest assured, I know how fragile the peace is between our kinds and would like to come to some…amiable agreement."

"If we agree to your terms, you mean," Yagari barks, the gun held in his hand now rattling in fury. When Kaname makes no move to counter, he turns to the President. "This is bullshit! He openly threatens us while trying to take one of our best hunters away from us!"

"I will have order while we are in court, Yagari," The President snaps. "If you raise your voice to me one more time I will have you escorted out." Clearing his throat in an obvious attempt to keep calm, he then announces: "For a matter like this, we must go to a vote."

Kaname dips his head slightly, a sign of fleeting agreement. "I trust the Hunters Association will come to the right decision."

Zero wonders if he's the only one who hears the threat poorly hidden there.

The Elites begin to converse amongst themselves, and for the first time Zero actually dislikes the amplified hearing he possesses, allowing him to overhear what other humans cannot; suspicions and offenses not meant for him to catch.

It would be foolish to keep Kiryu here with a vampire that powerful after him, not to mention Kuran Kaname is also… reaches his ears in feared garbles, along with; the headquarters isn't strong enough to endure an attack of that scale. Other sentences cut deeper through, harsh opinions that Zero had always speculated about but never heard in certainty—until now. He's a vampire. Not one of us. If would only make sense for the bloodsuckers to be together. Continues to be a disgrace to his proud heritage. We have more to gain by cutting our ties with him now.

As each tedious, tense minute passes agonisingly slowly, it only becomes more and more clear what the final judgment will be. Zero wills himself to look anywhere but at Kuran, anywhere but where those smug features will sneer at him in their victory. He's not sure of his self-control at the moment, and openly firing right inside the courtroom while he's a defendant has to break at least a hundred of hunter's laws, not to mention any coexisting rules they share with the vampires that would be shattered at endangering one of the their precious Pureblood vampires.

Although, why the hell should he care? Those very hunters were about to ship him off to god's knows where, essentially a prisoner to one of their longest and oldest enemies. Adrenaline flows through him, itching at his fingers to reach for Bloody Rose and stop this nonsense.

Before Zero gets the chance to do something incredibly rash but extremely satisfying, the thud of the President's hammer slashes through all his thoughts. The sound feels just as deadly as the blast of a gun, yet at least he knows the bullet would only cause him agonising pain for moments. The gavel, however, was capable of dishing out death sentences.

"Kiryu Zero, as voted and ruled by the Association, you will be in the custody of Kuran Kaname, the head of House Kuran until this threat has passed. Court dismissed."

Or worse.

If they think Zero's going to just roll over and accept a vampire deciding his life for him, they really didn't know the hunter at all.

Stepping forward, he drives nonchalance to cover his tone. "Is no one going to ask my opinion on the matter?"

The President almost appears relieved at his defiance. "Speak your piece, Kiryu."

"The issue is my blood, right?" He hesitates and takes a needed gulp of oxygen as he braces himself for the onslaught of emotions his proposal will cause. "Then just bleed me dry, to the point of death—beyond that, if it's necessary."

He pays no attention to the President's shocked inhale, overlooks the Chairman's pleas to reconsider, ignores even Yagari shaking his form and yelling at him to stop being a dumb-ass. Instead, his concentration dwells solely on Kaname, the only one who kept quiet after his reckless outburst. Verbally, that is; the gaze that burns into him seems to say everything and nothing at all.

Then, so minuscule that if he wasn't already watching he'd have missed it, Kaname's mouth parts to shape words that only he would read.

"Already giving up, Kiryu-kun? Even after you showed me such resolve for Yuki all those nights ago. I never took you for a sentimental liar."

Gritting his teeth, Zero feels the tip of his fangs piercing the inner of his lips as they stretch, reacting to his anger. He tears his eyes away and says nothing. He's standing by his decision.

It's all to no avail though, as the President states, "Your request has been overruled, Kiryu. Our original agreement stands. Court dismissed."

Many of the hunters are quick to shuffle their way out, duties they pushed aside to see such a rare event now at the forefront of their minds, but there's only one stature Zero can see clearly amongst the blurred crowd right now.

Kaname meets his gaze steadily as he raises a hand in a beckoning gesture, and effortlessly vanishes as he exits the room in a shadowy haze. Zero swallows down the anger that quickly rises. What was he, a dog meant to follow orders?

He goes to take a step, but his sensei places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We'll find a loophole, dumb apprentice. Don't look so glum."

He sighs. "I know." If anyone could, it would be Yagari Toga, the current top ranked vampire hunter.

"Being so close to him gives you a lot of advantages," his sensei continues. "To kill, maim, hell—to even have the chance to wipe that arrogant smirk off his face."

"I know," Zero repeats with a little more vigour. Trust his sensei to be the one to cheer him up with dark guarantees like maiming.

The fingers holding him tighten considerably as Yagari leans in, the smell of ash clinging the air and one ruthless eye glowering down on Zero. "And say if you had to shoot the bastard repeatedly, out of self-defence of course, well…who could blame you?" He leans back, a vicious grin evident as he reaches for a much needed cigarette. "Loopholes."

Then he's walking away, a trail of smoke swirling behind him.

xxx

By the time Zero reaches the outside, halted by his own heavy feet and being blocked from the entrance as the Chairman squeaked various hurried assurances at him, Kaname is nowhere to be seen. Taunting whispers whirl in his mind, alerting him that this would be the perfect chance to run. The only hunters around are those entering and leaving the building, no doubt retrieving and dropping off reports. None of them would be quick enough to stop him.

It's too perfect, which means it's too perfect to be true. No doubt there's someone—vampire or hunter—either out there with him or watching from a heightened advantage, under orders to record his every move.

Even if he did make a break for it, the list of places he could run to were pathetically limited. Going back to the Academy was too predictable; it would be the first place anyone would look for him and Kuran's devoted followers in the Night Class would present him to their leader in a heartbeat. Plus, disobeying the Association would mean he couldn't take any more hunting missions and where did that leave him?

It left him with little. Maybe nothing. The strength that nourished him all these years was his revenge, and with Hio Shizuka already reduced to dust by another, his only objective was putting down each deranged vampire he was assigned to.

He takes the President's note that still resides in his pocket and rips it into several thin shreds methodically as he searches for any more options, but it's no good. He was effectively trapped. Once again a Pureblood had managed to reconstruct his life, except this time it was his own fangs that had caused the damage.

The revealing, unpleasant, prickle that nips at the back of his neck alerts him of Kaname's presence.

"I don't like being spied on, Kuran," he opens with, letting the scraps of paper go and be taken by the wind.

"You can't blame me for being cautious," Kaname says as he glides into place by Zero, unabashed at being caught out. "Earlier you seemed more likely to draw your gun than engage in conversation. I was merely checking that was no longer the case."

"Like that would even be a threat to you."

They're not looking at each other, eyes trained on the city before them, streetlights switching on as evening arises and casting a dim glow over them. People pass by them in an unconscious manner, heading home for the day and Zero's envies them, envies that their most pressing thoughts are of the mundane sort due to their ignorance.

"No, it wouldn't." Kaname's not bragging with his agreement, but simply stating a fact. It still pisses Zero off. "Nevertheless I'd like to avoid a scene, if possible."

A thought that had been lingering at the forefront of his mind for a while now surfaces. Zero studies Kaname from the corner of his eye, suspicion keeping him from regarding the vampire completely. "Why'd you give me your blood if you knew it was a risk with someone like Rido about?"

Kaname doesn't return his gaze, shows no outward response despite the haunted intensity that shows in those amber eyes.

Eventually all he shares is, "Plans change."

It's not an answer at all, but before Zero can take the opportunity to beat more words out of him, a car rolls up and stops right in front of them.

It's a limo, one as black as the night's sky, sleek as the stars that rest there. When no further cars arrive, and Kaname waiting expectantly, Zero dreads the conclusion he's come up with.

"Remind me why we have to share a car," Zero grumbles, staring at the contraption as if it was the incarnate for all evil.

"So you don't give the poor driver a scare when you try to escape by throwing yourself out of it," Kaname helpfully tells him.

"I wouldn't—," he goes to protest before he realises—yeah, he kind of would take that risk. Was he that transparent that Kaname could predict his actions, or was it because that had known each other for years? He shakes that errant thought off uneasily. They didn't know each other. They had just…both been forced into each other's paths for too long. Linked together by the bond of another person.

"Your lack of denial is worrying," Kaname says as he waves Zero into the car, sliding in after. "Perhaps I should invest in child locks."

Zero is going to do himself a favour by trying his best to block out anything the vampire says from now on. Death by headache just didn't sound very appealing. He turns to look at Kaname in disbelief when he sees a familiar suitcase being packed into the boot. "You already retrieved my things?"

Kaname shrugs lightly, murmuring orders to the driver, before he responds, "Of course. I knew you'd be in need of them and didn't want to waste any time after the ruling, hence I had them gathered beforehand."

Translation: No matter what happened in that courtroom, I was always in control of the outcome and you had no choice in anything.

"Arrogant prick," he mutters harshly.

"I believe the word you're looking for is considerate."

"The word I'm looking for—" he rushes out in a vehement gush, but cuts himself off at the last second. Their banter was close to being childish and he didn't want Kuran to pull any emotions out of him and be witness to them.

The car finally starts, and the rumble of the engine is soothing. He turns back to the window, content to sit there in almost silence as the car swerves onto a main road, but Kaname undoubtedly has other plans. Like always.

"Not the least bit curious to what our destination is?"

Yes, he thinks.

"No," he says.

Kaname clearly doesn't believe him, but apart from a dubious eyebrow raise he says nothing, which is fine. In the end, the location really didn't matter as it was the company that was the problem.

It's mercifully quiet for a short while and with the low light autumn brings he can almost trick his eyes into believing he's the only passenger the car holds. Deceiving his nose is a lot more difficult, as a rich musky incense fills his sense, an aroma that definitely doesn't belong to him. There was only one other time he had had caught that scent, one other time when he had been in such close proximity with the Pureblood, and it's a memory he didn't like to muse on. Especially since it was the reason he was in the predicament he now found himself in.

"I wonder, when was the last time you smiled?"

Zero's jaw spasms at the stupid and personal question. Seriously? If Pureblood's could be affected by human drugs, Zero would be adamant that Kaname was a user. He keeps his eyes on the blurring scenery, buildings of grey mixing into splashes of green as they leave the city and enter the forest. Wherever they were heading, it must be far from civilisation.

Most people would find fear in that fact, but Zero only feels grim certainty. It meant there would be less people to hear the gunshots.

He figures Kaname has given up on trying to pry a conversation out of him, until he hears a deliberate crinkle, and he looks at the reflection in the window to see what Kaname is up to.

It's the picture of him and Yuki at the Academy, their first day of being prefects, where she had begged him to smile while wearing a ridiculous grin herself. The photo must have been collected with his other things. He doesn't realise he's snatched the photo from Kaname's pliant fingers until the object is being quickly creased in his own desperate grasp.

"This isn't yours to see," he snarls absentmindedly, willing his fingers to loosen up before he ruins the photo.

He expects Kaname to openly mock him, to latch onto this weakness he's exposed but, surprisingly, he doesn't. Instead, he's watching Zero with heavy eyes that convey to him that he understands. It's horrible. He'd prefer scathing remarks; he knows how to deal with them.

But sympathy—pity, empathy—whatever emotion that dwelled within those dark orbs were foreign to him.

"You know, Kiryu-kun, you and I aren't that much different."

"You said that before," Zero replies for lack of anything else to say.

"It seemed worth repeating."

"It wasn't."

Kaname makes a thoughtful hum, not sounding the least bit discouraged, and Zero feels more than sees him relax back into the seat.

Zero loses track of the time as each tree passes by in a swirl of green and brown, and eventually his breaths become heavier as drowsiness kicks in, causing the window to fog up slightly. It would snow soon.

He fights against the urge to yawn and fails. Hopefully his companion didn't notice—

"Get some sleep. I'll wake you when we arrive."

Ugh.

"And let my guard down in front of you?" he snaps. "No thanks."

Kaname's eyes narrow dangerously while he warns ominously, "Sooner or later you'll have to."

Don't remind me. "Later, then."

He sighs, sounding more amused than annoyed. "While your unyielding nature is refreshing amongst the company I am usually forced to keep, it's unessersary and will no doubt grow tiring for the both of us, should you choose to keep the pretense up."

The Pureblood then rests the edge of his chin in his palm and faces away, visibly ending the discussion before he can retaliate, but Zero swears he can feel those two dark irises observing him via the window's reflection.

He knows, because he's also watching Kaname.

xxx

"Not exactly what I expected," he mutters once they reach their journey's end, his eyes scouring over every inch of the rich estate he can see.

A huge, abandoned mansion in the middle of a forest lay before them, kept in an almost immaculate condition apart from the few overgrown vines that crept up the sides. It was like he had stepped into some conventional fairytale and if he was anyone else, he might even be impressed.

"Then what did you have in mind?" Kaname inquires, looking genuinely curious as he keeps the car door open for Zero. He's pretty sure it comes down to Kaname wanting to be a perfect gentleman rather than actual manners. It doesn't make it any less weirder though, so he slides out the other way. Kaname frowns, but makes no actual comment.

"Coffins." He shrugs when Kaname is blatantly amused at that. His knowledge that aids him to kill vampires didn't extend to where they spend their free time and, honestly, he really doesn't care. "Bats. Spiderwebs. That kind of thing."

"Maybe it's not too far from the truth." When Zero stares at Kaname incredulously and possibly with a pinch of terror, he elaborates with a bitter smirk: "I'm in ownership of a coffin."

"And is that where you'll be?" Zero asks, maybe a bit too quickly and brimmed full of hope.

Having full access to the mansion by himself, with a sleeping Pureblood tucked tightly away and out of sight and mind; it's as ideal as this situation could conceivably be (the situation being him and Kaname, living together for the unknown future).

"Don't be ridiculous, Kiryu," Kaname says, effortlessly destroying his fantasy. He catches a flash of glinting eyes as Kaname walks up to the house, opening the door with a flourish. "After all I only have the one, so we'd have to share."

The hunter almost shudders at that. He's already been forced to share a car and a building with the vampire and he's going to keep it to just that.

"Unless, that's what you want?" Kaname further taunts, waiting as Zero moves closer to the door. "I suppose that can be arranged."

He aggressively brushes past the Pureblood and the threshold. "Now who's being ridiculous?" he snaps back, but his thoughts are too busy with what his eyes are now witness to for his comment to have any real bite.

The interior design is lavish, bordering on ostentatious. He knew that if Yuki or the Chairman could see this, they'd be in heaven; sparkles in their wide eyes and spouting nonsense. The ceiling just by itself looks like a grand painting, winding various patterns into the stone, which followed onto and down the pillars. Even though they're only in the room that serves as the entrance, there's still various extravagant furniture situated in every possible place it would fit: flower vases, dressers, even a damn fireplace.

"Beautiful, is it not?" Kaname says, and then gentler, so quiet it's a strain for even his ears, "I had hoped that by now, Yuki would have seen this."

Zero has no desire to hear about Kaname's grand plans of swooping Yuki away with promises of eternal life, fortune and fame. Based on Kaname's faraway look in his eyes, the statement wasn't meant to be heard by him anyway so he goes back to studying the rest of the entry hall. A hollow feeling begins to build within, and he tells himself it isn't envy.

"Concerning the matter of your room," Kaname breaks the silence as he slips his coat off, revealing an even darker shirt underneath. "There are more than enough rooms vacant and ready. You're free to pick wherever is suitable."

How generous of you, he almost sarcastically spits out, but a more productive thought enters his mind.

"That depends," Zero says.

Kaname momentarily pauses in his goal of taking his gloves off (vampires don't feel the cold, at least not like humans do, so the additional clothing must be a fashion statement more than an comfort, and it almost sends Zero's eyes rolling). "On?"

"Where's your room?"

Kaname raises an elegant eyebrow. "I take it you're not asking because you're planning on a future visit?" Zero offers no reaction, so he replies: "The furthest right."

"Then I'll be taking the furthest left," he announces and waits a beat to soak up his enjoyment at seeing Kaname's slight shock before heading up the stairs.

He expects Kaname to call after him or just leave completely, deeming him unworthy of that much effort. What he's not counting on is the vampire appearing before him, blocking the rest of the stairs from him, and he grips the hand rail to keep himself from stumbling into the taller figure or being pushed down the staircase if Kuran suddenly feels like being in a particular violent mood.

"I see your stubbornness has kicked in already. I suppose it's a miracle you made it as far as the front door," Kaname sharply quips. They exchange an icy glare before he carries on. "Use your brain, Kiryu. I know that you possess one, as hard as it is to imagine the longer I'm in your presence."

"Make your bloody point, if you even have one, or get out of my way," Zero hisses, seconds from using force if necessary. Normally insults wouldn't get under his skin and stab at him, but it had been a strenuous day and he wanted nothing more than to sink into the nearest bed he could find and be comatose for at least the next ten hours.

It could be that Kaname senses this, because there's a shift in the air that breaks the confrontational mood and he's staring down at him in acceptance.

"Your very being here is to protect that precious blood of mine," he raises a slender finger to trail down the side of Zero's neck, stopping just before the end of his binding tattoo and tapping the digit against his skin once, "which is pumping through your veins from those who seek it. What kind of guard would I be if I let the target wilt away all alone in the left wing and be put at risk?"

Having tensed at the touch, Zero slaps the obtrusive hand away, giving an angry click of the tongue, and ignores the searing path Kaname's left behind on his skin. "So you're admitting that you, the mighty Kaname-sama, would allow an enemy as far as into his own home? Heh. I'm shocked."

A flitter of irritation lights up Kaname's features, only to be quickly smothered by a smug smirk, and Zero knows he's going to hate whatever Kaname says next, even before the infuriating words leave his lips.

"Your confidence in my abilities is touching, and correctly placed." Abruptly, Kaname starts up the rest of the stairs.

Zero stares at his retreating figure in befuddlement. So did that mean he'd won—?

"Take one of the rooms on the right, Kiryu-kun." Kaname grants him one last sinister glare before disappearing around the corner, his parting words lingering. "Do not make me come find you and drag you there myself. I imagine it would be unpleasant."

Unpleasant for me, you mean, Zero thinks with a scoff.

His sensei had told him to make the most of his predicament, and he had aimed for annoying the vampire to the point where he regretted his choice to bring Zero here, but it had backfired immensely and now he was the one feeling annoyed.

Muttering grievances under his breath, he reaches the second floor and forces himself to walk down the right corridor and not the left. He's faced with at least five doors and he picks one at random, past the point of caring.

It's a mystery to even him if he slams the bedroom door or not.

xxx

Note: I have no idea why I'm writing for a fandom which is most likely not active anymore. (?) To anyone who may still be here (yay, hi!); let me know how you feel about this fic & if you'd like to see more.