Title:Tenebricose
Author: Corroding Muse
Requested By: ben4kevin
Main Pairing: Kaname x Zero
Word Count: 2,150

Tenebricose
Chapter Eight
'The Worst in Me'

I had you in my grip but you're starting to slip
Bring out the worst in me
And now it's come to end, I think I'm giving in
You set my demons free
-Bad Omen

Kaname's invitation beleaguered an already distressed mind. It felt as though his every hope and dream had been presented towards him in the form of a double edged sword. He speculated how to approach it theoretically. He wondered if he could do that to Yuuki (had she been the only obstacle causing hesitance, yes, he realized that he could).

Was there a need so dire for him to fall back on this?

He could demand that Kaname instantly fix the sticky situation that had become of his marriage. He could bid that Kaname report to him on any major choices he makes for his people. He could even request that Kaname named the many spies he had in the association, for Zero never had enough evidence to begin pointing fingers.

The possibilities were boundless, and from what he'd seen, Kaname had been quite reckless in his behaviour. Unless that had been some form of a ploy, which was entirely plausible.

Heck, Zero could have the power to order Kaname to subdue his desires for another hundred years. Risk his neck once to wield such power…

The idea of power had never driven him towards any irresponsible endeavours, yet there was something so tantalizing about the prospect of controlling the most authoritative vampire.

He could save so many lives this way. That was what he'd devoted his remaining life to, after all. The wellbeing of the people. Humans were so puny and brittle. Their lives were so fleeting, and so they deserved the longest run possible, and he had the power to make it so that no bloodsucking beast could interfere with that.

The numbers of Level E vampires hadn't been at an increase, and were at a endurable level. For now. There were other purebloods out there, no doubt learning of this brashness of the king and amassing armies to attack. They'd think he was losing himself, and it was the perfect time to fight for the crown. It was inevitable, and so was the flood of barbarous, riotous Level E vampires gathering in the streets.

He could avert that.

He'd once wondered if straight up murdering the vampire would save the people and allowing Yūki to rule would solve anything. However, Zero believed her too weak. She could not command others. She could not create vicious beings for the sole purpose of giving their lives. She was not callous enough for the job.

What a shame that was.

(For a single second, he wondered if the death of Kaname would be the kick she needed, but the thought was so Kuran that he immediately dismissed it, feeling quite ashamed of himself).

Now that he had more perception to the situation at hand, he realized there was a bigger storm bordering the horizon, and he was frantic to avoid it at all costs. He realized that any action he took from now on would either hinder it or add fuel to the fire. He was not approaching these supposed requests lightly, knowing that every action will have an inevitable consequence.

It was only a matter of time before the northern territories grew brave. Lingering friction resided between Japan and USSR, and it wouldn't be too hard to twist this into political hostilities and involve the humans.

That was the worst possible outcome. Perhaps he could request of Kaname to prevent this in some way.

Once again, he returned to possible requests. He did not feel repulsed by the thought of the action, but agreeing to take part in the vampire's depravedness. It was a disgusting and awful thing, to fuel this, and yet he wanted to understand. He was not a pureblood; though he'd often felt dark desires to act out these deeds Kaname sampled. He'd never acted on it. The only person he'd ever wanted to be close to was Yūki, and he had treated her like a precious gem.

"Buenos días," Nicolas yawned as he pushed the door open, his arms laden with more paperwork, rather than coffee. Zero hadn't realized he'd desired such a beverage until his newly promoted S.I.C waltzed in without it.

The vampire merely sighed, rather than returning the greeting.

"What's got you so down in the dumps, ah?" Nicolas probed, cautiously placing the documents onto Zero's desk, before dragging a chair closer. He dropped down in an overly casual way. Zero was instantly alert.

"Are you feeling alright?" he questioned his employee.

Nicolas' tanned cheeks darkened immediately, and he stared deliberately at the paperwork. "Estoy bien," he tittered, causing Zero to pause due to his limited understanding of Spanish. That meant something along the lines of 'I'm fine,' he figured. "There is not much to do with these documents. They are merely the recruit applicants. Many are young upstarts who have caught wind of how calm things have been. If only they knew, ah? I-I mean—…"

Zero realized what was bothering the young hunter, and he leant back in his seat. Perhaps if he addressed things in a casual manner, Nicolas would feel more at ease.

"About that," he started, purposely relaxing into a more serene posture. "During the meetings, we've avoided outright addressing the situation, but you do know what it is Kaname has been doing, right?"

"Sí, boss; I picked up on that pretty quickly."

Nicolas appeared as if he could list off numerous other places he'd rather be.

"Kaname asked me to participate in these activities with the promise that if I survive, he'll grant me any request. Anything I could want. What do you think?"

The tanned hunter paled immediately and appeared to hunch in on himself in a frightened manner.

"B-boss, listen, figuring out how you're all chummy with those guys was fun at the beginning, but the more I witness, I'm starting to wonder if I should feel more worried. I-I mean, the vampire queen sought you out at your house! She speaks to you as if she loves you, and the way Lord Kaname looks at you really worries me. I don't think I should voice my opinion on this. I've come to my own conclusion about how you are so familiar with them and I know I may not be right, but it seems too dangerous for me, and I have family!"

The startled hunter launched into a ramble, his Spanish and English bleeding together. Zero was unable to comprehend what it is his employee was uttering, and so he uttered the longest Spanish phrase he'd ever learnt to pronounce.

"Estoy perdido. ¿Dónde está el baño?"

Nicolas froze, his emotive eyes widening. It was silent for a beat, before the younger hunter burst into peals of laughter. He clutched his torso, his giggles bordering hysterical. Zero wasn't actually sure what he'd said, yet he felt not embarrassment, only relief.

"Ah, boss, good one! But you know where the restroom is, ah? Ahahah, is that all you know?"

"Hola, me llamo Zero. Mucho gusto. ¿Cómo se llama usted?"

Nicolas nodded his head in approval, relaxing where he sat. "If you're really that fluent, we should converse more in a tongue that comes more naturally to me, sí? I sometimes have difficulty understanding all those big words you use…"

Zero immediately shot down that idea.

"That's all I know."

"What a shame that is," Nicolas reflected mournfully.

"I'm sure. Now, I feel like I should actually explain how I know those vampires. It's not really as shady as you think; we all attended Cross Academy together."

As Nicolas' eyes lit up, Zero delicately launched into his tale, recalling moments he'd not thought of in a very long time.

Kaname had been pacing back and forth repetitively for several hours. His braver servants had entered the room, only to be thrust back out by a mysterious force. After several attempts, they turned to Takuma. He'd known the king the longest, after all. He should have some inkling as to how to force that nasty glare from his eyes. There was work that needed to be done, and it appeared their monarch was far too aggravated to remain attentive to his duties.

It took Takuma an entire half an hour to work up the courage to enter the room, after a polite knock at the door. Once he was in, the blond vampire was not immediately pushed out, but held to the spot, invisible tendrils creeping over his body and holding him still, coiling around his throat.

"L-lord Kaname—!" he choked out, fear seeping into his heart.

Kaname paused, before slowly looking up at his attendant. The frustration bled from his disposition, leaving him looking rather confused.

"Ichijō…? What are you doing here?"

The fearsome monarch reined in his power, and Takuma fell to his knees, gasping for breath.

"I apologize. It appears that I'm in quite a bad mood right now."

"That's what I came to talk about," Takuma panted, before slowly pushing himself back onto his feet. This was nothing. He'd been through worse. "I've heard that you've been ah, shirking your duties, as it were, and I came to ask if everything is okay. I-I see now that it is a poor question, so I wonder, are your plans going awry?"

Kaname instantly tensed, his countenance hardening considerably. It served as another reminder to the factors he'd not counted when he was planning; his own emotions. He wanted this, and so he had no right to feel so aggressive.

"No, that is not it." Kaname responded tersely. "Things are progressing according to my plan. It is only that what happens next will be quite tricky, and runs the risk of backfiring."

Takuma understood. If this happened, he would lose both Yūki and Zero.

"Well, I'm sure it will work out. After all, you're the great Kaname Kuran! You took out the senate, and helped the people. They believe in you, and so do I."

This soothed Kaname's nerves, and he returned to his seat, dismissing Takuma immediately, allowing him time off.

He would not fail.

Zero and Nicolas had been discussing possible requests after the vampire had finished his tale. After the first few requests had been suggested, he also had to fill in his Second in Command about the position they were in, so that he understood how delicate the situation was.

"Why don't you just make Kaname take out those other purebloods? Won't that eliminate the threat?" Nicolas inquired in a naïve manner.

Zero immediately shook his head in response. "As far as I know, Kaname has only ever killed two purebloods, and both times required immense planning and perfect circumstance. I believe that if he truly put his mind to it, he could pull it off, but…"

Nicolas laughed loudly at this, waving his hand about. "Then I guess you'd have to blow his mind so he feels obligated to do it right!"

Zero arched a thin brow in response, not finding any humour in the situation. Though, he supposed that Nicolas' ability to make light of such a situation was a good sign. He was more like his normal self, now.

"Lo siento, hombre! I know I should not make jokes."

The vampiric hunter blinked in surprise. His Spanish was limited, but he was quite sure that the term Nicolas had used was more informal than usual. That meant the guy was more comfortable with him, right?

"Actually, I know that you haven't decided about accepting this request, but are you nervous at all?"

"Yes," Zero immediately responded. "I've never attempting anything like this at all. I've picked up rumours about what happens to the people who challenge Kaname, and I won't deny how anxious I feel about it."

"¿Por què? How bad does it get?"

He'd been hoping Nicolas wouldn't ask. Answering meant acknowledging once more what a monster Kaname had become.

"A lot of them don't return. Those who do, require intensive healing. I want to be able to speak with someone who's been through it, but if they don't answer Yūki, I doubt they'll speak to me."

"But if he does anything to you, he'll have broken the treaty, which will start a war. I don't think he's looking for that, so he'll at least refrain from killing you, probably."

Zero hadn't considered that, but now that he did, he knew that Kaname would find a way to take care of that.

"He'll most likely have me sign a form beforehand, stating that whatever happens doesn't impact the treaty at all." Zero mused, before allowing his head to rest in the palms of his hands.

"You know, Boss, you don't have to do it…"

"I know that, but I will do whatever it takes to keep the people safe." Zero vowed.

Nicolas grinned at this, pointing at his employer. "Geez, hombre. You really are a big softy after all, ah?"

Zero couldn't deny that.

Disclaimer: I don't speak Spanish, but I do watch Hetalia.

If my Spanish is wrong, please feel free to correct me. It's a language that I would truly love to learn.

I've created a playlist on Spotify that includes the title songs. It's titled 'Tenebricose Soundtrack'. It's moreso for me to keep track of the songs I use, but feel free to listen in.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is the last chapter I've written, and my planning sheet only goes as far as chapter nine. I'm going to take a few weeks to find a way to end this story, before it drags on too long.

Response to Guest: I'm very sorry you feel this way, but playing Dragon Age has taught me that you can't please everyone. I thank you for leaving an honest response; it's appreciated. However, I am saddened that you reviewed anonymously. I always welcome writing tips, and I would love to see some of your work to see what you deem 'proper'.